Cucalorus Response

This past week, the Circles team has been working hard as we wrap up production for this semester, so we were all looking forward to Cucalorus last weekend.  The Circles crew was lucky enough to either volunteer for the event or have Pegasorus passes, allowing us to experience the event as a whole. This year was my third year attending Cucalorus, however this year I was able to get their full access badge. I was able to get into the screenings, filmmakers lounge, and the parties throughout the weekend. Some of the narrative screenings that stood out to me were The Arbalest, Hunter Gatherer, and The Love Witch. I thought all of these films have a unique story and what I enjoyed most was that they all put you in a different world or reality. However, my favorite documentary screening was Tower due to its incorporation of animation and its method of storytelling. By having the subject’s younger versions share the story made the documentary relatable to young students which was their target audience. I also enjoyed the Q&A for this block because Hillary Pierce was a panel option this year for Visions so it was fun to hear from her and about her film. I also attended some horror and comedy short blocks, which had a mix of funny, gruesome, and memorable shorts. I thought the parties were very expressive, like the sound wall at the Throne Theater. You can never go wrong with mini tacos. The past two weekends have been a unique experience. Due to my involvement with Visions, I had the opportunity of attending Virginia Film Festival the weekend prior to Cucalorus Film Festival.  Also, another plus is I got a chance to see films I missed out on at Virginia. This unique opportunity allowed me to compare and contrast the two festivals in how they were operated, programmed, and branded. Overall, Cucalorus was a unique experience and I enjoyed being able to partake in the experience as a whole.