
Call for entries now open!
Send us your stuff!
We’re looking for wild and wonderful new films from sparkling and amazing humans! Cucalorus, Surfalorus, and Lumbee Film Festival are all accepting submissions.
First up on our festival journey is the 4th annual Lumbee Film Festival with a deadline of April 22. This festival will take place July 8th-11th and features films directed by American Indians and takes place in Pembroke, NC – home of the Lumbee Tribe. Submit to LFF!
Things get rolling September 22nd-25th with the 10th annual Surfalorus Film Festival on the Outer Banks. The deadline to submit your super-stoked surf moooovie is April 28th (with a late deadline of May 18th). Send in those surf films here!
And last but not least, the mothership Cucalorus Film Festival is seeking shorts, features, docs, and anything else you can squeeze into an mp4 file. The deadlines to submit to Cucalorus are April 28th for you early birds and June 23 for the last call. So get your sound mix swirling and your gamma rays color-corrected because we want to see your stuff! Go here for Cucalorus submissions.
Who can submit, you ask? The ultimate submission would be a surf film made by an American Indian living in North Carolina. You could submit that wonderful creation to all four of our festivals!! Follow the links above to check out the Film Freeway guidelines for each fest. Lumbee is open to anyone who identifies as Indigenous or as an American Indian. Surfalorus takes only surf movies or docs about the ocean. And then Cucalorus is where it all comes together – anything goes. We want films by people from all over the world. We want films by people who have never made films before and people who have been making films forever. More than half of the films at the festival are directed by women, so we’re always extra eager to see films with women in leadership. And we’ve set some new goals for representing more filmmakers of color, so we’re waiving the entry fee for directors who identify as Black or Latinx. We will also continue to waive the fee for anyone living in the City of Wilmington or New Hanover County. Email me for more info on these sweet waiver deals, y’all!! dan@cucalorus.org
And don’t worry, applications will be released soon for stage performers and more. We’re plotting and scheming for these great festival programs with a renewed focus on Dance for Cucalorus Stage. Stay tuned for more info on these great programs and how to apply!
Cucalorus Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab
The Cucalorus Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab supports unfinished social justice documentaries by Black filmmakers, and runs September 27 – October 2 on the Jengo’s Creative Campus in downtown Wilmington, NC. During this residency, filmmakers will explore project development and audience engagement strategies through workshops, consultations, and community screenings. The Works-in-Progress Lab was launched in 2008 through a partnership between Working Films and Cucalorus. Accepting applications through April 30th!