Call for entries now open for all four of our film festivals!
Send us your stuff!
We’re looking for wild and wonderful new films from sparkling and amazing humans! Cucalorus is accepting film submissions for all four of our film festivals. We kick off the season with Tarheel Shorties and the deadline is next Wednesday, March 5! If you made a film in NC over the past year, and you want to hang out with us in Wilson on May 8 – submit now. The next stop on our festival journey is the 3rd annual Lumbee Film Festival with a deadline of April 13. This new festival features films directed by American Indians and takes place in Pembroke, NC – home of the Lumbee Tribe. Things get rolling in September with the 9th annual Surfalorus Film Festival on the Outer Banks. The deadline to submit your super-stoked surf moooovie is June 4. And last but not least, the mothership Cucalorus Festival is seeking shorts, features, docs, and anything else you can squeeze into an mp4 file. The deadline to submit to Cucalorus Festival is June 12. So get your sound mix swirling and your gamma rays color-corrected because we want to see your stuff!
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. Tarheel only takes shorts by NC-makers while 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 the Cucalorus Festival 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 and Connect. We’re plotting and scheming for these two great festival programs with a renewed focus on Dance for Cucalorus Stage and a deep dive into the world of MUSHROOMS during Cucalorus Connect. 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!