Cucalorus kicks off Jengo’s Summer Film Series with a nine-week showcase of local gems, regional highlights, and festival favorites

Wilmington, NC- Cucalorus is excited to kick off the summer season at Jengo’s Playhouse with nine weeks of film magic, featuring an eclectic mix of previous festival favorites and locally-shot features, starting Friday, June 13, 2025. Audiences can expect everything from quirky, comedy features like Onur Tukel’s Ding-A-Ling-less (Cucalorus 7) to the adventurous prison break in Jonas Pate’s 1996 thriller, The Grave (Cucalorus 2).

The summer series kicks off on June 13 at 7:30pm with Find Love, an innovative, funny and graceful film by Wilmington writer/director Erica Dunton (Outer Banks, Ted Lasso). During a delayed flight to Wilmington, a woman fleeing a broken marriage and a man reeling from an unexpected pregnancy find themselves drawn together.

Set in 1964 South Carolina, The Secret Life of Bees follows 14-year-old Lily Owens as she flees her troubled home with her caregiver Rosaleen, seeking the truth about her late mother’s mysterious past. Featuring an all-star cast and shot in Wilmington in 2008, the film will be screened in celebration of Juneteenth on Friday, June 20. This screening is sponsored by the National Black Leadership Caucus and the Wilmington News Journal.

Cucalorus 30 fans will remember the late-night horror gem It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This—especially the surprise auction of the Missouri duplex where it was filmed, held right after the screening! This eerie favorite returns to the big screen on July 11, and if you missed it last time, don’t count on streaming it—the producers promise it’ll never go online.

On July 18, it’s a showcase of Wilmington talent in Port City Shorties, a bold collection of seven original, local short films. From twisted comedy to poetic reflection, these stories cover everything from medical mayhem (Brenda Gets Gaslit) and moths (Jumping Bean) to multiverse redemption (The Hermit of Cape Fear). Other highlights include Light, a luminous journey of self-discovery; For Every Breath, a gritty tale of survival and love; and Fidelity, a sharp comedy about infidelity, booze, and letting go, directed by Cucalorus founding member, Bo Webb.

A pre-screening social hour will begin at 6:30pm at Jengo’s Backyard Bar before each screening. Enjoy craft cocktails and refreshing mocktails, and don’t forget to grab some popcorn from concessions. Select films will also include a post-screening Q&A with filmmakers in attendance. To view the full summer schedule, and to purchase tickets, visit jengos.eventive.org/schedule.

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