Rza, Misty Copeland, Yvonne Orji, and more appeared at the 2023 Urbanworld Film Festival. The Wu-Tang Clan member was the ambassador for the festival and the co-director of A Wu-Tang Experience: Live From Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Gerald Barclay. The event is on day three of the five-day event. Various industry people have attended, including Nelson George, Misty Copeland, and Leyla Fayyaz, the producers of the film Flower. Benny Boom, who directed A Love Letter To Hip-Hop, also attended the festival in New York City. Orji made her debut as a director with the feature JAMAAL. dream hampton’s Freshwater and the experimental film Paradise from Terrace Martin & Alex Isley will also be presented at the festival. American Fiction director Cord Jefferson received the Visionary Award on opening night. Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood attended the screening and Q&A for Genius: MLK/X, which they executive-produced. The festival is in its 27th year and is the nation’s largest multicultural competitive film festival. This year, the festival screened 73 official selections, 7 spotlight screenings, 3 spotlight conversations, and featured 5 Urbanworld Innovation sessions and 4 original screenplay finalists. The winners have been announced.
2023 Winners
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (U.S.) – Frybread Face and Me – Directed by Billy Luther
THE JURY:
Darcy Heusel – VP of Audience Engagement and Impact, NEON
Efuru Flowers – Founder and CEO, Flourishing Films
Sue Ellen Chitnuya – Filmmaker and Academy Member
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (WORLD) – Sira – Directed by Apolline Traoré
Honorable Mention: Inky Pinky Ponky – Directed by Damon Fepulea’i and Ramon TeWake
THE JURY:
Darcy Heusel – VP of Audience Engagement and Impact, NEON
Efuru Flowers – Founder and CEO, Flourishing Films
Sue Ellen Chitnuya – Filmmaker and Academy Member
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – Brief Tender Light – Directed by Arthur Musah; Presented by ESPN Films
THE JURY:
Jackie Glover – Emmy-Winning Executive Producer
Leslie Fields-Cruz – Executive Director, Black Public Media
Sarah Eshaghian – Coordinator, HBO
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT – Slice – Directed by Zaire Love
Honorable Mention – Things Long Left Unsaid – Directed by Antonia Thornton
THE JURY:
Jackie Glover – Executive Producer
Leslie Fields-Cruz – Executive Director, Black Public Media
Sarah Eshaghian – Coordinator, HBO
BEST YOUNG CREATOR – The Old Young Crow – Directed by Liam LoPinto
Honorable Mention – Shallots and Garlic – Directed by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Presented by The Walt Disney Studios
THE JURY:
Ramona Wright – Founder and CEO, WrightOne Media Group
Phillip Domfeh – Senior Manager, Disney+ Launchpad
Julian Newman – Founder and CEO, Culture Creative
Will Schnable – Programs Manager Equity and Inclusion, Warner Bros. Discovery
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT (U.S.) – Spaceship – Directed by Jorge G. Camarena
Honorable Mention – Jerome – Directed by Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz; Death and Ramen – Directed by Tiger Ji
THE JURY:
Amanda Ross – Director, TV Programming DEI, NBCUniversal
Kecia Cole – Director, Fiction, BRIC
Kierna Mayo – Writer, Editor, and Media Executive
Marquis Daisy – Producer, ESPN Films
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT (WORLD) – Yellow – Directed by Elham Ehsas
THE JURY:
Tamara McCaw – Chief Civic Program Officer, The Shed
Ivonne Cotorruelo – Film Programmer
Amy Andrieux – Executive Director, Chief Curator, Mocada
BEST ANIMATION SHORT – Tomato Kitchen – Directory by Junyi Xiao
Honorable Mention – Lil Ruby – Directed by Bartek Kik
THE JURY:
Ramona Wright – Founder and CEO, WrightOne Media Group
Phillip Domfeh – Senior Manager, Disney+ Launchpad
Julian Newman – Founder and CEO, Culture Creative
Will Schnable – Programs Manager Equity and Inclusion, Warner Bros. Discovery
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM – Quiet As It’s Kept – Directed by Ja’Tovia M. Gary
THE JURY:
Tamara McCaw – Chief Civic Program Officer, The Shed
Ivonne Cotorruelo – Film Programmer
Amy Andrieux – Executive Director, Chief Curator, Mocada
BEST SCREENPLAY – Long Live AJ – Written by Marvin Van Buren
Honorable Mention – The Washroom – Written by Elie El Choufany and Omar Al Dakheel
THE JURY:
Tracey Moore – EP, The Spirited Actor Podcast (iHeart Radio); Celebrity Acting Coach
Sonja Perryman – Writer, Producer, Actress
Joshua Sanchez – Screenwriter + Member of Writers Guild of America, East
Jenny Mayer – Screenwriter, Playwright + Member of Writers Guild of America, East
URBANWORLD AUDIENCE AWARD BEST SHORT – Homing – Directed by Ricardo Varona
URBANWORLD AUDIENCE AWARD BEST FEATURE – Brief Tender Light – Directed by Arthur Musah
NYWIFT AWARD for BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR, US NARRATIVE FEATURE
Sira – Directed by Apolline Traoré
Presented by New York Women In Film & Television
NYWIFT AWARD for BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR, US NARRATIVE SHORT
Lunch Box – Directed by Anne Hu
Reunion – Directed by Zainab Jah
Presented by New York Women In Film & Television
