In its nearly two decades of celebrating the art of movie making, Wilmington’s Cucalorus Film Festival has reeled in fans while staying true to its original vision. Despite a proliferation of film festivals in the region, the five-day event with the quirky, faux-dinosaur theme has continued to grow.

This year’s event, which will light up downtown screens large and small Nov. 13-17, is no exception. Festival officials received 1,389 submissions and are screening 67 features, 119 shorts and 41 music videos. Because the festival schedule has expanded somewhat,
the Cucalorus staffers anticipate a little bump in attendance.

“For North Carolina, Cucalorus is a great film festival,” said Aaron Syrett, director of the N.C. Film Office.

“It has built up a great name as an international film festival on a regional basis and differentiated itself.”

In a state with an estimated 22 film festivals, differentiation is not easy. Locally, in addition to Cucalorus, there is the Cape Fear Independent Film Festival, held in May, and the N.C. Black Film Festival, which takes place in March. Both of those are into their teen years. A Jewish Film Festival is in the formative stages to debut next year. Do these events pose a threat to Cucalorus?

“The growing proliferation of film festivals doesn’t seem to dilute the impact of individual festivals – certainly not well-established festivals like Cucalorus,” Dave Monahan, chairman of the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s film studies department, said in an email.

“Since festivals are a live region-specific event, they don’t compete for audiences, and the large number of festivals only encourages independent filmmakers to create content for the circuit. I could imagine that it would be difficult for a small festival to find a foothold in a market with a well-established festival, but that’s not a problem for Cucalorus.”

“We helped Cape Fear Independent Film Festival and the Black Film Festival get started, and we’re meeting with the organizers of the Jewish Film Festival,” said Dan Brawley, co-founder and director of the Cucalorus Film Festival. “It’s all about audience development. These guys are helping us develop sophisticated audiences for film.”

From its beginning in 1995 as a one-night event featuring 16 short films from North Carolina, the festival quickly expanded. At age 15, Cucalorus screened 130 films and attracted about 10,000 film fans with an estimated $5.5 million local economic impact, according to a Business Journal interview with Brawley in 2009.

Last year’s festival drew 11,654 attendees – an increase of 10 percent from 2011 – to its mix of film screenings, dance events and social activities. Box office receipts were up about 10 percent as well, Brawley said in an interview in early November 2012.

“The festival is very highly regarded among filmmakers. The festival has a national reputation as a place that stresses collaboration and affirmation over competition, and provides a sincerely festive place to celebrate their work and meet and network with fellow filmmakers and film fans,” Monahan said. “If it wasn’t for that reputation, and a reputation as a place that draws audiences and properly showcases work, they wouldn’t get the level of submissions from recognized American and international filmmakers.”

In its Spring 2011 Festival Beat: Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals listing, Movie Maker Magazine had this to say: “There are three things the Cucalorus Film Festival doesn’t have: red carpet parties where moviemakers focus more on getting photographed than having fun, exorbitant ticket prices or awards. Valuing the exchange of ideas over the potential for an award statue, Cucalorus is a place where moviemakers come to be one with their fellow artists.”

And that’s apparently what its founders had in mind when they envisioned the event – collaboration rather than competition and a program of non-juried works ranging from local to international.

From its first screenings in 1995, Cucalorus aimed to create a thought-provoking venue for film, Brawley said, an environment where a filmmaker could, in his words, “Share your work and get to know people. Our focus is on cultivating relationships with filmmakers.”

“There’s no competition at all,” Brawley said, adding that the last-minute awarding of prizes to a few can sour other filmmakers’ otherwise positive experience at a festival.

“I’m not suggesting there’s not a place for that, but not in a town like Wilmington,” he added. “In my mind, the non-competitive atmosphere is one of the keys to our success; it’s one of best decisions we’ve ever made. We’ve done a pretty good job of developing the brand. Filmmakers come to Cucalorus even if they don’t have a film in the festival.”