NCIndieSeen

Photo by Jamie Broadnax

The Cucalorus Film Festival comes to a close today.  The NC film industry is just getting started with more exciting films to be born in this great state both indie and mainstream.  At midnite last night we had the opportunity to be invited to the Midnite Brunch at the film festival and got to meet some awesome filmmakers and local musicians.  There was also a secret invite to the backyard of Jengo's Playhouse.

The Midnite Brunch:


The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC is a venue for local bands, artists, poets, and comedians to set the stage and express themselves to the downtown crowd.  Filmmakers, writers, producers, and musicians got together for one night and spent and evening with food , fun, and music.  An ice cold bottle of PBR with  southern home cooked grits and a wrap filled with egg, cheese, and bacon hit the spot for this midnight fare.  You may run into anyone who is somebody in the Wilmington film biz at this event. 


The Jengo's Playhouse Experience:


Very exclusive. The after-party invite---only industry and filmmakers allowed. The backyard is filled with all types of late night shenanigans.  In one corner a group of emo kids with hipster glasses are playing beer pong.  In another corner a group of scarf-covered sophisticates are hovered near a campfire exchanging critical reviews of the films they saw.  Towards the back in a lazy lounge area where you can relax with a "new friend" and exchange modest pleasantries or cozy with your hubby and use your body heat as a warming pad. Time party ends?  Whenever.

Cucalorus is not just a film festival.  It's an experience.

Cucalorus gives filmmakers the opportunity to present their "works-in-progress". What this means is a film that in its rough cut stage is presented to an audience to review. The audience gives their opinion about where they feel the story is going and if there is any room for improvement. It's a great way to present a critical analysis to filmmakers and get direct feedback from the audience.

The documentary "Bringing It Home" is about industrial hemp and the illegalization of allowing it to grow in farms in the U.S.  The film focuses on the many benefits that hemp offers such as energy-efficient homes, healthy ingredients such as omega 3, and its lack of synthetic chemicals which may benefit people with disabilities and illnesses who are sensitive to these chemicals.

The film is still in its beginning stages, but the story is very relevant and is an important story to tell.  There is a large misconception about Hemp since it is the sister plant to the Marijuana plant.  However, a film like this can certainly shed some light on how beneficial this plant is to society.

For more information check out http://www.bringingithomemovie.com/

NCIndieSeen took a journey through Wilmington, NC to see the locations filmed in 1986 in the cult classic David Lynch film "Blue Velvet". The film was shot at 28 locations in the city. There are only 2 locations that are no longer in existence, but the rest of the locations shot over 20 years are still in tact to this day.

The Blue Velvet Tour is just one of the many exciting events taking place at the festival this week.  Passes are still on sale if you are interested in checking out one of Wilmington's top rated festivals! 

Below are photos taken at the tour today.  The festival begins today and ends on Sunday Nov 13th.

Arlene's Diner

Exterior Party House



Infamous "ear scene" field



Lumberton High

Carolina Apts

Exclusive video from the filmmakers about the indie film Punch Me which debuted at the North Carolina Black Film Festival last March.