Wilmington feature gets major praise to open 29th Cucalorus Film Festival

Hundreds of people showed up at venues all over downtown Wilmington Wednesday night for the opening of the 29th annual Cucalorus Film Festival, with a packed house at historic Thalian Hall turning out to support the locally shot indie feature "A Song for Imogene."

The film's lead actress, Kristi Ray, and writer/director Erika Arlee, both with Wilmington's Honey Head Films production company, got loud cheers from the crowd as they sat perched in a Thalian Hall opera box.

"It took all of Wilmington to make this film," Arlee said during a post-screening Q&A, standing on stage with more than a dozen actors and crew members who worked on "Imogene."

Ray, who had just given birth to her first child a few days ago, beamed as she noted that "Hollywood is not very inviting. So we have to pave our own way."

Earlier, during an opening-night party for Cucalorus passholders at Hell's Kitchen on Princess Street that was filled to overflowing, Arlee told the assembled crowd that making the movie, which had its genesis seven years ago but largely came together during the pandemic, has been "a labor of love" and "a labor of community."

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In the shoulder-to-shoulder Hell's Kitchen crowd were filmmakers both national and local, including Wilmington comics Jesslyn Virginia Wilson and Meghan Cook, whose first-ever short film "Intake It Or Leave It" is screening before the feature "Summer Solstice" 1:15 p.m. Sunday at Thalian Hall.

Screenings started early Wednesday at Cucalorus headquarters Jengo's Playhouse on Princess Street and in Thalian Hall's studio prior to Wednesday night's main event on the main stage.

"A Song for Imogene" had screened at several festivals nationwide before making its Cucalorus homecoming this week. Ray plays Cheyenne, an aspiring musician who's given up her dreams because of her controlling boyfriend, Alex, played with menace by Colorado actor Haydn Winston.

Ray's affecting portrayal of Cheyenne as a woman searching for a better life in the face of daunting family and societal challenges grounds the film, with Arlee's gentle but compelling pacing and ability to create multi-layered characters (Alex is a toxic mess, but not without his charms) making "Imogene" an impressive, emotional debut.

The film was shot mostly in rural areas around Wilmington, but one notable scene features beloved Wilmington dive bar The Rusty Nail.

Prior to the screening, Wilmington native and singer Leigh Jones introduced "A Song for Imogene," noting that "the first time I performed on this stage was when I was 10 in 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'" She then played a bright, bouncy version of "The Cucalorus Song," which was written by longtime Cucalorus emcee Matt Malloy, to big cheers from the crowd.

Another pre-"Imogene" highlight was a Cucalorus promo, or bumper, that will screen throughout the festival. Wilmington comic Steve Marcinowski plays a lusty, Swamp Thing-like creature that appears to grow from a man's dirty hot tub despite the man's protests that the hot tub "basically cleans itself."

A post-screening party at Hi-Wire Brewing on Princess Street featured a mesmerizing performance by Charly Lowry, a Lumbee singer from Pembroke who also had a small but memorable part as a no-nonsense car mechanic in "A Song for Imogene."

Cucalorus continues through Sunday, with a wide range of screenings, parties and performances each day.

On Thursday, the festival is set to award $25,000 to 20 North Carolina-based filmmakers as part of the Filmed in NC fund, with a reception at Thalian Hall honoring the filmmakers.

Thursday night's highlights include the 10x10 Challenge at Bowstring Burgers and Brewyard, doors at 9 p.m. Ten bands or musical artists, including Wilmington rockers Cool Jerk and rapper Sheme of Gold, were paired with 10 filmmakers to make four-minute music videos over the course of five days. They'll screen the fruits of their labors, and some of the bands will play live.

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For a full schedule of events, go to Cucalorus.org.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington: Opening night highlights