By Kay Whatley, Editor
Each year, North Carolina is host to dozens of film festivals from coast to mountains. Festivals coming up in Fall 2017 — actually, starting with a festival September 16, about 6 days before Fall begins — are listed below, and are taking place in Asheville, the Outer Banks, Hickory, Enfield, Fayetteville, Kill Devil Hills, Tryon, and Wilmington NC.
Asheville Film Festival
The Asheville Film Festival is scheduled for September 16, 2017, at the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, 340 Victoria Road, Asheville NC. This year’s festival will be showing 46 films.
The goal of the organizers is “to showcase thought-provoking films in front of movie lovers who appreciate independent vision and can celebrate this unique art form.”
See details at www.ashevillencfilmfestival.com or on the festival Facebook page.
Surfalorus Film Festival
The Dare County Arts Council and Cucalorus Festival band together to bring the Surfalorus Film Festival to the Outer Banks each year. The sixth-annual festival will be September 21-23, 2017.
The Surfalorus Film Festival shows an eclectic array of surf films. It is a free, family-friendly event with showings at:
- Thursday, September 21: Jennette’s Pier, 7223 S Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head NC
- Friday, September 22: Dare County Arts Council, 300 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Manteo NC
- Saturday, September 23: Outer Banks Brewing Station, 600 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills NC
All three evenings of Surfalorus also feature a raffle. Raffle tickets are $1 each or $5 for seven tickets. They may be purchased at the screenings and at Dare County Arts Council.
For more information about the Surfalorus Film Festival, go to DareArts.org and Surfalorus.com.
Footcandle Film Festival
The 2017 Footcandle Film Festival September 22-24, 2017, in Hickory NC. The festival includes 11 feature-length films and 22 short films.
The film festival takes place at the Drendel Auditorium at the SALT Block — located at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory NC — with the exception of the Closing Awards Ceremony and dinner, which will be held at Moretz Mills, 74 8th Street SE, Hickory NC.
See the complete film schedule at www.footcandlefilmfestival.com/2017-festival-schedule. Updates may be posted to the Footcandle Film Society’s Facebook page.
Enfield Riot Film Festival
The first-ever Enfield Riot Film Festival is coming up October 6-7, 2017. The film festival is happening at the Enfield Performing Arts Center, 137 SE Railroad Street, Enfield NC.
The Enfield Riot Film Festival is the first official fundraiser for EPAC Enfield NC and will kick-start the fundraising campaign so that planning can begin for live events in the fall of 2018. By partnering with the Halifax School system and Enfield Middle School in particular, EPAC aims to bring artistic programming to the students of Enfield Middle School.
On Friday, October 6, there will be an evening VIP Reception with actors in attendance, an introduction and discussion of the EPAC, and Enfield Middle School announcement. Plus, this receiption will showcase the event’s Feature Film.
On Saturday, October 7, attend a full day of feature films and a short film marathon.
Details on this inagural Enfield Riot Film Festival may be found at www.epacnc.org/enfield-riot-film-festival.html. The festival is on Facebook here.
Tickets may be purchased online at enfieldriotfilmfestival.brownpapertickets.com.
Indigo Moon Film Festival
Following a Big Film Reveal this week, the Indigo Moon Film Festival’s schedule was released. Film-goers may now see the dozens of features and shorts planned for the second-annual Indigo Moon Film Festival.
The festival is October 13-15, 2017 in Fayetteville NC, kicking off with the Opening Night film — HONDROS — at the CAMEO Art House Theatre at 7pm. The screening of HONDROS will be followed by the Opening Night Party at SkyView on Hay, beginning at 9pm.
Starting Saturday, October 14, films will show throughout the day at five venues:
- CAMEO Art House Theatre, 225 Hay Street, Fayetteville NC
- LOGE (on the second floor of the CAMEO Art House Theatre)
- Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, 301 Hay Street, Fayetteville NC
- Hay Street United Methodist Church, 320 Hay Street, Fayetteville NC
- SkyView on Hay, 121 Hay Street, Fayetteville NC
The film festival is very walkable with all venues in the heart of downtown Fayetteville.
Film categories are:
- Documentary
- Narrative
- Student
- Animation
- Documentary Shorts
- Narrative Shorts
Check out the schedule and ticket information at www.indigomoonfilmfestival.com. Updates may be found on Facebook here.
One of the films showing on Saturday, October 14, is You Wouldn’t Expect. This narrative short begins at 7:15pm, and is based on a play by local writer Marilynn Barner Anselmi. The film recounts the experiences of a North Carolinian forcibly sterilized under the NC Eugenics Program. Almost 7,600 individuals were forcibly sterilized by the North Carolina Eugenics Program between the 1930s and 1974.
On Sunday, October 15, there will be an Awards BBQ Banquet at SkyView on Hay Street, beginning at 11:30am. This will be followed at 1:30pm by an encore showing of several films, whose titles and encore showtimes will be announced during the banquet.
The Indigo Moon Film Festival, founded by GroundSwell Pictures, celebrates the art and power of storytelling through film before a diverse audience. As a champion for independent filmmaking and creative expression, IMFF supports emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning filmmakers, and introduces new ideas and artists to film-goers from around the region.
Halloween International Film Festival
The second-annual Halloween International Film Festival returns October 26-28, 2017. Held at R/C Kill Devil Hills Movies 10, 1803 N Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills NC. Tickets are $12-$30, available here.
Note that this independent film festival is followed by the Outer Banks Halloween Parade of Costumes on Sunday, October 29, 2017.
Tryon International Film Festival
Although this festival is not in the eastern part of North Carolina, it’s included due to its unique theme this year. The 2017 film festival theme is “It’s all about the horse” and the EQUUS Film Festival tour is joining the festival.
TIFF is scheduled for October 27-29, 2017, in Tryon NC (Polk County, southeast of Asheville). Details may be available via tryoninternationalfilmfestival.com or on their Facebook page.
Cucalorus
The 23rd-annual festival returns to downtown Wilmington NC for November 8-12, 2017. The festival spans more than a half-dozen venues, and shows hundreds of films.
Known for its gorgeous riverside setting and its laid-back, rock n’ roll atmosphere, the non-competitive Cucalorus Film Festival showcases more than 300 films from all over the world and attracts a growing collection of filmmakers, misfits, partyhounds, and industry insiders.
Film titles and schedule will be released later in September. Watch www.cucalorus.org for details, or their Facebook page for updates.
