Supporting Indie Productions

Cucalorus’ Filmed in NC Fund offers awards to filmmakers from the Tar Heel State

By Judy Royal

The 30th annual Cucalorus Film Festival, held November 20-24th  in downtown Wilmington, will showcase more than 90 films from all over the world. Sharing work at such an event, however, is still just a dream for many.

Enter the Filmed in NC Fund. This initiative supports the production of indie film and video projects by artists who are permanent residents of North Carolina, as well as full-time students at colleges or universities in North Carolina living in the state year-round. The Filmed in NC Fund is made possible through a partnership between the North Carolina Film Office and Cucalorus Film Foundation, and through the generosity of Artless Media in conjunction with The Magnifying Glass. The intent is to support the development and production of new and ongoing projects with total budgets under $250,000. Selected projects are supported with funds ranging from $500 to $3,000 per project.

“As Cucalorus has evolved over the last 30 years, we’re always looking for ways to increase our support for filmmakers and artists, so the programs that have grown out of the festival itself have all looked at other ways than sharing people’s work to create a sustainable ecosystem for independent media artists,” Cucalorus Chief Instigating Officer Dan Brawley says. “There are very few things that can have as big of an impact as direct funding, putting money in the hands of independent media artists. We are supporting a lot of emerging artists who have never received funding for their work. It’s been a great program for us.”

The Filmed in NC Fund started in 2016, and since then it has supported over 100 projects with over $100,000 in funding, Brawley says. In 2024, the fund is taking applications through October 23 and expects to award $11,000 to 10 projects after review by a panel of alumni filmmakers, he adds. The winners will be recognized at a ceremony on November 21st  at 5 p.m. at Thalian Hall.

“We get an incredible number of applications,” Brawley says. “There are so many exciting projects going on in North Carolina. We could grow this tenfold and still have very difficult choices to make. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is possible.”

The Filmed in NC Fund supports emerging and established artists with a proven record for producing singular and original work, exhibiting potential for meaningful community impact and generating substantial economic activity in North Carolina. It includes projects at various stages of production and prioritizes funding for female filmmakers, filmmakers of color and LGBTQ+-identifying filmmakers, although everyone is taken into consideration.

“The program is very intentional about who is supported and how the money is distributed,” Brawley says. “We love to support those left out of mainstream opportunities.”

Artless Media, which has been involved with the Filmed in NC Fund for several years, funds a $1,000 award that goes to an experimental filmmaker.

“As an experimental film company, we believe in supporting filmmakers who take risks in their work both in form and content,” Artless Media co-owner Russell Sheaffer says. “The Magnifying Glass award supports filmmakers who may not have access to other filmmaking resources, allowing them to tell the stories that they are seeing in their own communities in the form of short, accessible, social justice films that can be easily shared. Resources for filmmakers working in more experimental forms are far too scarce, and we want to see a larger move towards the support of artists who need to tell their own stories in ways that are uniquely their own.”

The Filmed in NC Fund awarded $20,000 to 20 filmmakers last year. Among the recipients were Linda Royal and Lydia Hyslop. 

Royal, a Wilmington resident who won an award for her project “Minnie Evans: Draw or Die,” a documentary feature that reveals the artistic mastery of one of the most important American artists of the 20th century, said her film was in the second year of production when she applied for the Filmed in NC Fund.

“Anything in any amount is always appreciated,” she says. “It’s very meaningful when someone wants to support your project. I would encourage any filmmaker to pursue this. Anytime you receive recognition through funding like that, you’re benefitting not just from the money but also because you know that your film is being recognized as something special.”

Hyslop, who lives in Tarboro, won an award for her film “Sheila Got Bangs,” a narrative feature about a missing brother and estranged sisters reuniting to wrestle with ghosts of the past and seeking redemption. Her project was in the pre-production stage when she applied for the Filmed in NC Fund.

“It was the most substantial funding we have received so far,” Hyslop says. “It was such an honor to receive this. To receive encouragement from your creative peers and mentors meant the world to me.”

She calls Cucalorus “the best festival on earth” and said she can’t wait to attend this year.

“I love that it’s non-competitive and a celebration of diverse voices,” Hyslop adds. “It’s such a safe space for artists to come together to celebrate art and everyone’s uniqueness. There’s just such a lovely inclusiveness. I’ve always felt like I’m coming home when I come to the festival.”