WILMINGTON - Cucalorus has announced eleven filmmakers awarded Filmed in NC grants. This program is an initiative of the Cucalorus Film Foundation and is sponsored by the NC Film Office to support indie filmmakers in the state. Together, both organizations support original and singular works by diverse artists working in North Carolina.

The eleven projects awarded range from narrative features to short docs and were chosen from 59 submissions. The panel of judges for the 2nd annual round of grants included a combination of grant recipients from 2016, members of the Filmed in NC office, and guest panelists from the industry. Embracing the diversity of the film industry, the Filmed in NC Grants are supporting five female directors, three projects from African-American filmmakers, and one genderqueer filmmaker.

Filmmakers will present a portion of their ongoing work at the 23rd annual Cucalorus Film Festival, November 8-12, 2017.

Grant recipients are:

Alex Nomick for Sweet Nothing, a narrative about a college student struggling with hissexuality;

Alicia Inshiradu for What The River Knows, a short chronicling the six months of a youngmarried couples tragic life;

Anna R. Jones for Chairman Jones An Improbable Leader, a documentary about NorthCarolinas first African American school board chairman;

Anthony Reynolds for Times Like Dying, a feature about a vengeful farming family;

Brendan & Jeremy Smyth for Mohmmed, a poetic look into forgotten refugees;

Christopher Baker for Sarahs Big Day, about a girl and her imaginary friend;

Joanne Hock for Martin Hill: Camera Man, a documentary about an obsessed hoarder of filmmaking tools;

Katina Parker for A Love Supreme: Black, Queer and Christian in The South,documenting the journey to reconcile Black Queer Christians with their families;

Laura Hart McKinny for Extraordinary Ventures, a story of employment of teens andadults on the autism spectrum;

Molly Lewis for Paradise: Downhill Skateboarding, about the downhill skateboardingculture of Western North Carolina;

Ricky Kelly for Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches, about the racialtensions that arise in Myrtle Beach during two national bike festivals every spring.

Cucalorus was founded in 1994 by the underground filmmaking collective Twinkle Doon. Today, Cucalorus is a multi-disciplinary organization supporting emerging and innovative creative professionals through an annual film festival, a residency program, a community cinema, a summer outdoor screening series, and an extensive community engagement program. The annual festival takes place every November, celebrating independent and internationalfilm for five days in historic downtown Wilmington, NC. MovieMaker Magazine has recognized it as "One of theCoolest Film Festivals in the World" for three years. For the third year, Cucalorus will dive into the world of venturecapital and entrepreneurship with the Cucalorus Connect conference. More than 250 films are screened and over 50 Connect events take place at venues all over downtown Wilmington, attracting a large number of participating artists(370+) and thousands of fans and industry professionals (accumulated attendance in 2016 was 17,874). The23rd Annual Festival will run November 8 12, 2017 at venues throughout historic downtown. Cucalorus is a501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on funds from individuals, businesses, and grants to fund its annual celebration.

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