Nearly 18,000 attended Cucalorus festival

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – The 22nd annual Cucalorus Film Festival saw a big increase this year.

According to a news release, there were more than 180 screenings, workshops, performances and parties, representing a 19% increase in events from 2015.

Cucalorus officials say 17,874 people enjoyed a film lineup flaunting 306 selections from 16 different countries out of a record-breaking number of submissions. 37 narrative features, 15 documentary features, 175 short films, 37 music videos, and 5 projects from the Works-in Progress Lab.

Cucalorus says the most popular events included longstanding tradition Dance-a-lorus, a marriage between dance and film, Carol Reed’s 1968 classic Oliver! and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as part of a special tribute to legendary local camera engineer Joe Dunton, twisted thriller Always Shine by Sophia Takal, and Ingrid Jungermann’s queer dark comedy Women Who Kill.

Cucalorus has been named one of the “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” for 3 years by MovieMaker Magazine and landed a coveted spot on the “50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” for 2016.