NEW YORK, NY (October 6, 2023) – The 27th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival has announced its official 2023 slate, which includes a clips and conversation event with Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” writer/director and Urbanworld alum Nia DaCosta, as well as the world premiere of A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, directed by The RZA and Gerald Barclay.

This year’s festival will take place on November 1-5, 2023 at AMC 34th Street and the SVA Theatre. HBO returns to Urbanworld as a Founding Partner with Warner Bros. Discovery serving as Prestige Partner.

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
• 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 Premiere)
• 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)
• Reunion – Directed by Zainab Jah and Tim Naylor (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
• 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)

YOUNG CREATORS SHOWCASE

• BURNT MILK (Jamaica) – Directed by Joseph Douglas Elmhirst (U.S. Premiere)
• Of Silence and Song – Directed by Dai Leyi (New York Premiere)
• Shallots and Garlic / Bawang Merah Bawang Putih (Indonesia/Canada) – Directed by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto (New York Premiere)
• Xiaohui and his cows (China) – Directed by Xinying Lao (New York City Premiere)
• UNERASABLE – Directed by Déon Ragin (World Premiere)

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