Cucalorus Film Festival Announces Final Schedule of 241 Films

WILMINGTON, N.C., Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cucalorus Film Festival, presented by PNC, announced today the final film and event line-up for its 20^th annual showcase, scheduled for November 12-16, 2014 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. The five-day event, called "one of the coolest film festivals in the world" by MovieMaker Magazine in 2013, includes an innovative line-up of films ranging from love-lost unicorns and teenage bank robbers to family flicks and social justice documentaries. In total, more than 240 independent and international films will be screened, including a hefty list of world premieres, U.S. and regional premieres, award-winning international films and original debuts from both well-known and up-and-coming filmmakers.

The festival will include 43 narrative features, 21 documentary features, 145 shorts, 34 music videos and 7 works-in-progress along with a deep schedule of multi-disciplinary performances ranging from dance to spoken word and beyond. Among the 241 films being shown at Cucalorus, some notable selections include:

World Premieres

• Uncensored – a documentary by DC-based director Stephanie Martinez featuring three Colombian journalists recounting the terrifying reality of living through the Escobar cartel and the ongoing struggle to maintain freedom of the press.
• A Better You – From one of the founders of The Upright Citizens Brigade (Matt Walsh from HBO's "Veep") comes the story of Dr. Ron (Brian Huskey), a revolutionary Los Angeles hypnotherapist, who could solve everyone's problems but his own.
• Times Like Dying – a thrilling Western set in the Post-Civil War South involving four brothers facing the loss of their family farm; features actor Bill Cody. Shot and produced in Wilmington.

U.S./Eastern/Southeastern Premieres

• Labyrinthus – an edge of your seat thriller about a 14-year-old boy who must complete a sinister computer game that uses real children from his neighborhood as players; part of the newly launched Kids-a-lorus program and recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2014.
• Hide and Seek – director Joanna Coates' provocative drama about a group of young, unmoored adults who retreat to the countryside to test intimate boundaries; winner of the Michael Powell award at Edinburgh Film Festival 2014.
• Felix and Meira – a young married woman from Montreal's Orthodox Jewish community escapes the bonds of her faith when she meets an artist in her neighborhood who is mourning the loss of his father; won best Canadian feature at Toronto International Film Festival 2014.
• Spring – Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's intriguing indie drama blends romance and horror together in this ultimately uplifting film about a young man who flees California to find himself working on a farm in Italy and falling in love with a woman who carries a dark secret.
• The Tribe – a smashing hit at this year's Cannes film festival, this outstanding Ukranian feature follows a gang of deaf-mute students who spend their nights running a prostitution ring at the local truck stop.
• The Age of Love – a charming documentary that follows the humorous adventures of thirty seniors in Rochester, NY who sign up for a Speed Dating event exclusively for 70- to 90-year-olds.

Other Noteworthy Films

• Force Majeure – directed by Ruben Ostlund, this award-winning, brilliantly funny psychodrama tells the story of a model Swedish family on a skiing holiday in the French Alps when an avalanche strikes; Sweden's submission for Best Foreign Language Film for Oscars 2014; winner of Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2014.
• Wildlike – an unsettling drama about a young girl who tries to make her way back to Seattle after fleeing her uncle's home in Alaska; recently premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
• The Hip-Hop Fellow – a documentary following Grammy award winning producer 9^th Wonder's tenure at Harvard University where he explores 40 years of hip-hop history and lays out the case for hip-hop as part of the larger evolution of the universal language of music.

Special Events

• Dance-a-lorus - Cucalorus' kick-offs the annual cinematic celebration on opening night, November 12, with a live stage performance breaking down the boundaries between dance and film. The event features excerpts from 9 different choreographers and filmmakers and includes a genre-defying mixture of live dancers and projected film colliding on stage.
• Dino De Laurentiis Retrospective – This year's festival honors the father of North Carolina's film industry, Dino DeLaurentiis, and his lasting legacy on the state's film culture. This survey of the legendary Italian producer's work includes screenings of War & Peace, King Kong, Flash Gordon, Crimes of the Heart and Hannibal, as well as a special appearance by Martha De Laurentiis, Dino's former wife and producing partner.

The complete schedule of 241 films and special events at the 2014 Cucalorus Film Festival can be found at www.cucalorus.org. Tickets are now on sale for all events on the website.

About the Cucalorus Film Foundation
Cucalorus is a multi-disciplinary arts organization supporting emerging and innovative creative professionals through our annual film festival, a residency program, a summer camp for teen filmmakers, a microcinema, and an extensive community outreach program. The annual Cucalorus Film Festival was established in 1994 and has since grown into one of the largest film festivals in the South. More than 200 films screen each year at venues all over downtown Wilmington, attracting a large number of participating artists (300+) and thousands of fans and industry professionals (accumulated attendance in 2013 was 14,784). Festival programs focus on dance, music videos, emerging artists. social justice, works-in-progress,  and international cinema. Cucalorus education and outreach programs include Global Perspectives, Works-in-Progress, Latino Lens, Media Literacy, and Racial Rewind. Cucalorus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on funds from individuals, businesses, and grants to fund its annual celebration. For more information on the Cucalorus Film Festival visit www.cucalorus.org.

Media Contact: Ryan Jaccard
[email protected] 
910-343-5995

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SOURCE Cucalorus Film Festival

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http://www.cucalorus.org