Cucalorus Film Festival Announces Compelling Line-Up Of Early Selections

WILMINGTON, N.C., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cucalorus Film Festival, presented by PNC Bank, today announced 89 films as early selections for this year's 20th anniversary film festival, hosted November 12-16, 2014 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. The featured films range from love-lost unicorns and teenage bank robbers to family flicks and social justice documentaries. In all, more than 200 films will be screened at Cucalorus, making it one of the largest film showcases in the United States.

In keeping with the festival's multidisciplinary traditions, Cucalorus will open with the live performance Dance-a-lorus, a blend of film and dance that features dance troupes and choreographers from across the United States. This year's festival will also honor Dino DeLaurentiis and his lasting legacy on film culture in North Carolina. There will be special screenings of Flash Gordon, King Kong Lives, Cat's Eye and Maximum Overdrive.

"As we prepare to celebrate the festival's 20^th anniversary, we're excited about how Cucalorus has grown. It continues to be one of the top regional festivals in the country as we showcase a special mix of important premiers with a continued commitment to supporting regional artists," said Dan Brawley, executive director of Cucalorus. "Downtown Wilmington is the perfect setting for the diverse range of programming at Cucalorus and our audiences are some of the best in the world."

Some of the big films chosen as early selections include David Robert Mitchell's Cannes horror breakout It Follows, Ukrainian drama The Tribe (winner of 3 Cannes Critic's Week awards), Joanna Coates' indie drama Hide and Seek, Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Leah Meyerhoff's I Believe in Unicorns, and Nathan Silver's Uncertain Terms. Selected documentaries by North Carolina filmmakers include The Hip Hop Fellow, Occupy the Imagination, Private Violence, Cotton Road and Daylight Come: Life After Rape in the Congo.

Short films are a primary focus at Cucalorus, with more than 140 projected to make the final line-up. Shorts blocks are crafted to focus on a range of different topics, including dance, comedy, horror, animation, documentary and global cinema. Twenty North Carolina natives made the early selections list, along with the world premiere of Happy Birthday to Me by Peter Mackie Burns, the family friendly fix So You've Grown Attached by Kate Tsang, and the bizarre festival favorite Master Muscles by Efren Hernandez.

Further additions to the line-up, including the Works-in-Progress program, will be announced later in September. The final film list and schedule will be released in October. Discounted passes are available at www.cucalorus.org. Members of the press should visit www.cucalorus.org/press_room.asp to apply for credentials.

Media Contact: Ryan Jaccard
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910-343-5995

SOURCE Cucalorus Film Festival