The official schedule for the 28th annual Cucalorus Film Festival has been released and tickets are now on sale for all events.

This year’s festival will take place Nov. 16-20 in downtown Wilmington and will showcase 136 films, beginning with the Wilmington-made opening night feature film, “The Devil’s Stomping Ground.”

Other features include thought-provoking documentaries like the closing night film, “Rise and Rebuild: A Tale of Three Cities” and the strange-but-true tale of “The Pez Outlaw.” From dark comedies like “Sick of Myself” to the crowd-pleasing “Sarcastic Fringehead” comedy shorts block, this year’s lineup has something for every film-goer.

Screenings take place at Thalian Hall, on campus at UNCW and also at the recently renovated community cinema, Jengo’s Playhouse.

Film selections range from “Butterfly in the Sky,” a documentary about the beloved children’s literary TV show “Reading Rainbow,” to “Our Father, the Devil,” a psychological thriller about trauma, power, guilt, and the devils hiding within us all. Featuring Oscar-worthy performances, “Our Father the Devil” has taken home awards at every festival, including Best Narrative Feature at Sidewalk Film Festival and the Audience Award at Tribeca Film Festival. Director Ellie Foumbi will be in attendance during Cucalorus and will participate in Q&A sessions following both screenings.

As always, the festival offers up a sweet selection of short films curated into blocks named after weird animals like “Leafy Seadragon” (docs about land) “Pleasing Fungus Beetle” (short docs about family), and of course our annual short comedy showcase this year is called “Sarcastic Fringehead.”

Taking cinema beyond the screen, the Cucalorus Performances program welcomes Isabella Rossellini back to Wilmington to perform her one-woman show, “Darwin’s Smile." This ultimate Bus to Lumberton experience has been 25 years in the making, tickets are limited, so grab yours now at cucalorus.eventive.org.

Fan favorite Alex Tatarsky returns to the stage with her new show “Dirt Trip.” Julia Desmond’s “Acme Revue” brings a dynamic combination of visual art, comedy and music.

The new Conversations program highlights the ability filmmakers have to generate discussion and connection within their storytelling. This year’s Conversations program explores Black history in Wilmington with wilmingtoNColor, the OUT Dance Project, and “The Making of the Nuevo South," a television series about the Latino immigrant experience in the South.

The full lineup of films is available at cucalorus.eventive.org/schedule. Grab a Pegasorus Pass to gain access to the whole film festival, plus parties, conversations and other events. Access to “Darwin’s Smile” is not included in the Pegasorus Pass.

Cucalorus is sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, University of North Carolina Wilmington, the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council and over 70 businesses.

Cucalorus is a multi-disciplinary organization supporting emerging and innovative artists through an annual film festival, two regional festivals, a residency program, a community cinema, an outdoor film series, and youth education programs. Cucalorus brings people together to celebrate, discover, and create. The annual festival provides a non-competitive environment to support independent filmmakers, performance artists, and community organizers who use storytelling to transform our world. More information is available at www.cucalorus.org.