The 27th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival has unveiled its official slate for 2023, promising an exciting lineup of films and events. This year’s festival will take place from November 1 to November 5, 2023, at the AMC 34th Street and the SVA Theatre. HBO returns as a Founding Partner, with Warner Bros. Discovery serving as the Prestige Partner.
Among the highlights of this year’s festival is a clips and conversation event featuring Nia DaCosta, writer/director of Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” who is also an Urbanworld alum. The festival will also host the world premiere of “A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre,” directed by The RZA and Gerald Barclay.
Spotlight presentations include HBO Documentary Films’ “Stand Up & Shout: Songs from a Philly High School,” directed by Amy Schatz and executive produced by Mike Jackson, John Legend, and Ty Stiklorius of Get Lifted Film Co. Paramount+ will present the upcoming series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” starring Executive Producer David Oyelowo as the titular Reeves. This series tells the legendary untold story of the first Black U.S. Marshal and is created for television by Executive Producer and Showrunner Chad Feehan, with executive production by Oscar Nominee Taylor Sheridan.
Prime Video will showcase the documentary feature “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story,” offering an intimate portrait of the writer, actor, filmmaker, and media mogul Tyler Perry. National Geographic Documentary Films will present a special youth screening of “The Space Race,” directed by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Urbanworld alum Lisa Cortés.
The festival will also celebrate the work of Urbanworld alums, including films like “To Live and Die and Live,” directed by Qasim Basir and starring Amin Joseph and Omari Hardwick. Other notable titles include “Young. Wild. Free.,” directed by Thembi Banks, and “Sira,” directed by Apolline Traoré, which won the Berlinale audience award.
The short films category includes ESPN’s presentation of “Black Girls Play,” a festival-favorite directed by the award-winning documentary team Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson. Disney+ will showcase six shorts from its Disney+ Launchpad incubator program, featuring diverse filmmakers and their unique storytelling voices.
Notably, Yvonne Orji (“Insecure”) and Zainab Jah (“False Positive”) will make their directorial debuts with their respective films, “Jamaal” and “Reunion.” Executive producer and longtime Urbanworld alum Nelson George will present the short art film “Flower,” starring world-renowned ballerina Misty Copeland. Additionally, “A Love Letter to Hip Hop,” directed by Benny Boom and starring Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and “Part of Me: Anuar Khalifi by Yasiin Bey” celebrate the art of music and culture.
Karen McMullen, Festival Director of Urbanworld, expressed excitement about the festival’s mission of providing a platform for historically excluded filmmakers to tell their stories. Stacy Spikes, Festival Founder and Co-Founder of MoviePass, added that this year’s lineup showcases a wide range of emerging diverse talent from around the world.
The Urbanworld Film Festival continues its tradition of celebrating and promoting diversity in the film industry, making it a must-attend event for film enthusiasts and industry professionals alike.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the official Urbanworld Film Festival website.
2023 Urbanworld Film Festival Slate
SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS
Lawmen: Bass Reeves – Created by Chad Feehan (Presented by Paramount+)
Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story – Directed by Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz (Presented by Prime Video)
Stand Up & Shout: Songs from a Philly High School – Directed by Amy Schatz (Presented by HBO Documentary Films)
The Space Race – Directed by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Cortés (Presented by National Geographic Documentary Films)
U.S./WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE FEATURES
Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (Argentina) – Directed by Tomás Gómez Bustillo (New York Premiere)
Frybread Face and Me – Directed by Billy Luther (New York Premiere)
INKY PINKY PONKY (New Zealand) – Directed by Damon Fepuleai, Ramon TeWake (U.S. Premiere)
To Live and Die and Live – Directed by Qasim Basir
Young. Wild. Free. – Directed by Thembi Banks (New York Premiere)
Sira (Burkina Faso) – Directed by Apolline Traoré (U.S. Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Directed by Gerald K. Barclay and The RZA (World Premiere)
Bike Vessel – Directed by Eric D. Seals (New York Premiere)
Black Barbie: A Documentary – Directed by Lagueria Davis (New York Premiere)
Brief Tender Light (Ghana/USA) – Directed by Arthur Musah (New York Premiere)
DISNEY LAUNCHPAD SHORTS (Presented by DISNEY+)
Beautiful, FL – Directed by Gabriela Ortega
Black Belts – Directed by Spencer Glover
Maxine – Directed by Niki Ang
Project CC – Directed by Cashmere Jasmine
The Ghost – Directed by Erica Eng
The Roof – Directed by Alexander Bocchieri
POV SHOWCASE (Presented by WNET)
By Way of Canarsie – Directed by Emily Packer and Lesley Steele
Freshwater – Directed by dream hampton
Sol in the Garden – Directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez and Débora Souza Silva
Still Waters – Directed by Aurora Brachman
The Dream of a Horse (Iran) – Directed by Marjan Khosravi (New York Premiere)
U.S. AND WORLD NARRATIVE SHORTS
A Version – Directed by Asad Farooqui (New York Premiere)
August Visitor – Directed by Ifeyinwa Arinze
Becoming – Directed by Tramaine Raphael Gray
BURNT MILK (Jamaica) – Directed by Joseph Douglas Elmhirst (U.S. Premiere)
Children of Light (Korea/USA) – Directed by Minkyu Kang (New York Premiere)
Choices – Directed by Justin Luis Denis (World Premiere)
Cousins – Directed by Karina Dandashi
Cut Me If You Can – Directed by Nicolas Polixene and Sylvain Loubet (New York Premiere)
Death & Ramen – Directed by Tiger Ji
Don’t Touch My Hair – Directed by Matthew Law (New York Premiere)
Don’t Wait Up For Me – Directed by Alain Alfaro (New York
ExpoZure – Directed by Kimson Albert (World Premiere)
Hématome (Belgium) – Directed by Babetida Sadjo
Homing – Directed by Ricardo Varona (New York Premiere)
House Party (United Kingdom) – Directed by William Alexander Boyd III (U.S.
Premiere)
Incomplete – Directed by Zoey Martinson
I Held Him – Directed by Hans Augustave
JAMAAL – Directed by Yvonne Orji (World Premiere)
Jerome – Directed by Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz (New York Premiere)
LOOK BACK AT IT – Directed by Felicia Pride
Lunchbox – Directed by Anne Hu
Magic Ring – Directed by Alex Ashe
My Two Left Feet – Directed by Damian Gonzalez (U.S. Premiere)
October Mourning – Directed by Frederick Thornton (New York Premiere)
Of Silence and Song – Directed by Dai Leyi (New York Premiere)
Reunion – Directed by Zainab Jah and Tim Naylor (New York Premiere)
Shallots and Garlic / Bawang Merah Bawang Putih (Indonesia/Canada) – Directed by
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto (New York Premiere)
Spaceship – Directed by Jorge G. Camarena (New York Premiere)
The Burden – Directed by Tish Arana (New York Premiere)
The Fore-men (Canada) – Directed by Adrian Bobb (East Coast Premiere)
The Old Young Crow (Japan) – Directed by Liam LoPinto (New York Premiere)
TikTok Challenged – Directed by Ivan Rome
UNERASABLE – Directed by Déon Ragin (World Premiere)
Xiaohui and his cows (China) – Directed by Xinying Lao (New York City Premiere)
YELLOW (United Kingdom) – Directed by ELHAM EHSAS (East Coast Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games – Directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle
Stephenson (Presented by ESPN Films)
Duckworthy – Directed by M.G. Evangelista (New York Premiere)
I Was a Soul Train Dancer – Directed by Timiza Sanyika (New York Premiere)
Merman – Directed by Sterling Hampton IV
PART OF ME – Anuar Khalifi BY Yasiin Bey (Spain) – Directed by Jordi Esgleas
Marroi (New York Premiere)
OVER THE WALL – Directed by KRYSTAL TINGLE
SLICE – Directed by Zaire Love (New York Premiere)
The Big Idea: Birth Without Bias – Directed by Sarah Klein, Tom Mason (New York
Premiere)
Things Long Left Unsaid – Directed by Antonia Thornton (New York Premiere)
WA GUEJJ GUI – OCEAN PEOPLE – Directed by Clé Hunnigan (World Premiere)
ANIMATION SHORTS
Bridges – Directed by Jonathan Davenport (World Premiere)
BURNING RUBBER – Directed by Christopher Fequiere and Dara King (New York
Premiere)
Lil’ Ruby – Directed by Bartek Kik (New York Premiere)
Perfect City: The Bravest Kid – Directed by Shengwei Zhou (East Coast Premiere)
Tomato Kitchen (China) – Directed by Junyi Xiao
EXPERIMENTAL
BET Presents: A Love Letter to Hip Hop – Directed by Benny Boom
FLOWER – Directed by Lauren Finerman
It Smells Like Springtime – Directed by Mackie Mallison
Quiet As It’s Kept – Directed by Ja’Tovia Gary (New York Premiere)
Paradise Ft. Terrace Martin & Alex Isley – Directed By child. (Presented By Jill Newman Productions)
SCREENPLAYS
I Don’t Dream in Spanish Anymore – Written by Missy Hernandez
Long Live AJ – Written by Marvin Van Buren
Panorama Connection – Written by Nicole Weaver
The Washroom – Written by Omar Al Dakheel and Elie El Choufany
To purchase tickets and passes, visit urbanworld.org.
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