Cucalorus Prep

This year at Cucalorus I am seeing the films While I Breath, I Hope, White Ravens: A Legacy of Resistance, Transmilitary, and the Fiddlefaddle short block. I'm also planning to go to the open lounge for a while to mingle and see our classes projects. I am excited to see work by some UNCW professors (White Raven and Shoot the Duck) because we have the opportunity to pick their brains outside of the festival and have more personal discussion about their work. The two features by other filmmakers give me a chance to meet new faces and discuss making films about topics that I am passionate about. I chose the Fiddlefaddle shorts for my shorts block to see Shoot the Duck and other films targeted to/made by kids. I think there's a lot to be learned from children. They're much less concerned about making the "perfect" film and just create. It's something that I struggle with. As far as films made about/for kids, they still have valuable filmmaking lessons to be learned. So many people think that because a story is about/for children that it can't be interesting, but that is far from the truth. I'm challenging myself to ask the filmmakers questions about at least one of the screenings, meet and talk to at least one person outside of the UNCW film department (who isn't the filmmaker of a film I saw), and engage in professional and critical conversation with my fellow students and other attendees.