This year’s Cucalorus Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday after a five-day run, posted strong attendance numbers, according to the festival’s staff.

Total accumulated attendance at the festival reached 14,784 – a 26 percent increase from last year’s attendance, said Dan Brawley, Cucalorus director. That’s significantly different from the “little bump” in audience numbers that he said he was anticipating when interviewed earlier this month.

In fact, all festival numbers were up from those of recent years, Brawley said. Cucalorus staff received nearly 1,400 submissions – a record – and screened 67 features, 199 shorts and 41 music videos, the most films ever. A number of the screenings boasted standing-room-only or even fire-marshal-alert status.

Box office figures and other financial data are not yet available, he said Wednesday.

"This was a very ambitious year for us," the director said. "We went out with a strategy of increasing submissions because we felt we had the structure to do it."

That structure has been developed partly as a result of corporate and local business support.

"We've developed some key supporters who are really generous and embrace the festival. PNC Bank has helped us; that's the reason we could go out and look for more entries. From the start of the year they were there to offer support. They and other sponsors partnered with us on the opening night party," Brawley said. "Blueberry Creative produced our TV commercial; Planet Logo made the T-shirts for our filmmakers and volunteers.

This year, numerous business sponsors actually helped plan the festival, he said, noting that longtime support from sponsors such as Sage Island and EUE/Screen Gems has given the festival stability and fueled its growth.

This year's festival drew the highest number of filmmakers to Wilmington in its 19-year history, Brawley said. They came from 12 countries and from 61 cities across the US.

Brawley also said in the release that Cucalorus’ Works in Progress program, which shows still unfinished projects, was larger than ever. An expanded network of alliances with other filmmaking organizations also increased the diversity of festival offerings.

The annual festival's slate of parties and screenings expanded this year to a total of 115 – making room for new attendees, Brawley said. An increased number of local businesses sponsored after parties for films.

A number that was key to the organization and operation of the festival was the record number of volunteers who pitched in.

"We had over 300 volunteers," he said. "Without volunteers, the festival wouldn’t happen. Our target was to get 180 volunteers, but, at our final [organizational] meeting before the festival, the coordinator said she had 278 and was adding another 30 that night. We are so grateful to those people."

A major goal for this year's festival was to improve attendance for daytime screenings. Brawley said that Cucalorus did see a jump in those numbers as well, thanks to the larger number of filmmakers in attendance, higher visibility for the festival through greater media attention in the state, and more locals who decided to clear their calendars for the festival's four days of film frenzy.

“This is a pivotal time for Cucalorus,” Brawley said in a news release. “I think this festival pushed us into a completely new place but not too far from the organized chaos that makes the festival special. It seems like we've created some lasting value – for filmmakers and for audiences – who appreciate the irreverent and unexpected vibe at Cucalorus.”

The 20th annual Cucalorus Film Festival will be held Nov. 12-16, 2014, and the organization's annual Oscar Party fundraiser will be March 2, according to the release.