Dreams can come true in Hollywood East too.
At least some of them are coming true for the head of Cape Fear Community College's film program, who has hoped for many years that his classes could be based at Cinespace Studios' Wilmington location on North 23rd Street. The program is moving from CFCC's North Campus on Blue Clay Road to a soundstage at Cinespace this summer.
“For more than 20 years, we’ve dreamed of building this program into what it was always meant to be. Relocating CFCC’s film and video production technology program to Cinespace gives students the rare opportunity to learn in the environment where professional filmmaking happens every day," said Duke Fire, the program director. "Being immersed on a working film lot is instrumental for future filmmakers, and experiencing on-set protocol firsthand provides knowledge and experience that simply can’t be replicated in a traditional classroom setting.”
CFCC President Jim Morton said the move will nearly triple the program's space, from about 2,500 square feet to 7,200 square feet, and triple its capacity. The program already provides essential hands-on training, and the space will allow it to grow with additional classes and students, including more continuing education offerings, he said.
"I think this is more along the lines of modern workforce development training, what it should look like," Morton said. "It gets the students prepared quicker, ready to hit the ground running."
He added, "I'm all about trying to expand programs to help our students, put them in an environment that's more productive for them to help business and industry grow, and this accomplishes a lot of that."
Wilmington earned the nickname "Hollywood East" during a locally based production boom that began in the 1980s. The Wilmington film industry has experienced a lull in recent years, in part due to a slowdown following the streaming surge of 2019 to 2023. But the state overall saw an estimated $185.5 million in direct in-state spending in 2025, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Local lawmakers have proposed state legislation to boost grants and rebates available to productions that choose North Carolina.
Morton and Erin Easton, vice president of economic and workforce development at CFCC, said the CFCC film program's expansion will help build a sustainable local talent pipeline that could lure more productions to the Port City.
"As Wilmington grows, we have to be willing to change and pivot to meet the industry needs, and this is an example of us doing that," Easton said. "Even though film has its ups and downs, if we have the workforce here, that gives us a better opportunity for more productions to continue to come."
Morton said CFCC will be building out the Cinespace space, which the college is leasing, over the summer and expects to welcome students there this fall. The school is also procuring additional film equipment and supplies for students to use. CFCC didn't have an exact funding allocation figure Tuesday, as local governments and state lawmakers are in the midst of working on budgets for next year, said Christina Hallingse, the college's director of communications and media relations.
Currently, CFCC has 39 students enrolled in the curriculum part of the program and 127 on the continuing technical education side.
"There’s no substitute for learning where the work actually happens," said Keith Gee, co-CEO of Cinespace Studios. "At Cinespace, we’re proud to create opportunities for students to train in and around active studio environments, gaining exposure to the people, departments and production workflows that bring stories to life."
Gee said the move is an expansion of education partnerships Cinespace has at its studios in Chicago and Toronto.
Easton said the change will strengthen existing ties.
"We've had a strong partnership with them," she said. "They've allowed students to intern and get some hands-on experience, so this just helps to expand on an already good relationship."
