DocuTime Returns: 21st annual festival celebrates documentaries full of humor and heart

Wilmington, NC- Cucalorus Film Foundation and WHQR Public Media are pleased to announce the return of the DocuTime Film Festival for its 21st year, taking place Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Jengo’s Playhouse in downtown Wilmington. This premier partnership celebrates the power of documentary film with a full day of acclaimed, thought-provoking documentaries.

Organizer Dan Brawley shared, “DocuTime fills a much-needed gap in Wilmington’s cinema landscape by dedicating a full day to new, non-fiction works that highlight stories about everything from treasure hunting to book banning. Several of the films will get your blood boiling and then a few others will make you laugh out loud.”

This year’s festival kicks off at 10:30 a.m. with The Librarians, a timely 2025 documentary that follows a group of librarians on the frontlines of the fight against book bans in the United States. Focusing on states like Texas and Florida, the film highlights their courageous efforts to uphold intellectual freedom and ensure continued access to books for students and communities—defending democracy in the face of growing censorship.

Screening at 1:00 p.m. is Thank You Very Much, a compelling portrait of boundary-pushing comedian Andy Kaufman. Known for performances that both captivated and confounded audiences, Kaufman challenged conventions and blurred the line between reality and acting. Director Alex Braverman explores Kaufman’s brief but influential career—and how his legacy feels strikingly relevant in today’s culture of performance.

A dynamic block of short documentaries begins at 4 p.m., spanning the globe—and the absurd. The Falcons offers a moving portrait of a musical group of special needs children in Armenia defying expectations. In News Room, a local public radio team at WHQR balances passion and humor while reporting in Wilmington, NC. Butch & Mandolin follows an unlikely duo on a quirky treasure hunt in West Texas. And The Shitthropocene dives deep (and hilariously) into humanity’s self-destructive impulses, capitalism, and... dancing cave people!

The festival’s final screening begins at 7:30 p.m. with André is an Idiot, a hilarious and heartfelt documentary about one man’s unconventional approach to dying. After receiving a devastating diagnosis, André decides to make a film about his final chapter. With irreverent humor, curiosity, and a filmmaker’s eye, he dives into the emotional and absurd realities of mortality. Equal parts funny, raw, and life-affirming, André is an Idiot offers a deeply human portrait of facing the inevitable with gratitude, laughter, and no filter.

An all-day festival pass is $35 and individual tickets for screenings are $15. Passholders gain access to all of the screenings, a discount at Cugino Forno for dinner and an invite to the social hour in Jengo’s Backyard. Tickets and passes are on sale now at docutime.eventive.org.

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