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Urbanworld Film Festival news
Queen Latifah Announced As 2008 Honorary Chair Of Urban World Film Festival
The Urbanworld Film Festival presented by BET Networks, the largest international competitive festival of its kind, today announced that Academy Award-nominated actress Queen Latifah will serve as Honorary Chair of this year's festival. Dedicated to the exhibition of independent and mainstream cinema by and about people of color, Urbanworld also announced it will screen 85 films at this year's festival in New York City from September 10-14. All festival screenings will be held at the AMC Loews 34th Street Theaters.
This year's selection showcases New York-based films and filmmakers celebrating local artists and communities, as well as a strong representation of international filmmakers from around the world. The 2008 slate will culminate in the special closing night screening of The Secret Life of Bees, followed by a Q&A with talent from the film including Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo ('Hotel Rwanda'), and screenwriter/director Gina Prince-Bythewood ('Love & Basketball').
"These are really exciting times for the festival," said Stacy Spikes, founder of Urbanworld. "On display we have films of nearly every genre, created by filmmakers of nearly every background. This robust selection of cinema, together with our new partnership with BET Networks, promises to make this the best Urbanworld yet."
"We're thrilled to have hip-hop's first lady Queen Latifah sign on as honorary chair for this year's festivities," said Alvin Bowles, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing, BET Networks. "The exciting lineup of cinematic talent rounds out our mission to embrace and support the new wave of filmmakers of color through our partnership with Urbanworld."
"I am thrilled to be the honorary chair of the Urbanworld Film Festival this year," said Queen Latifah. "It is an important and exciting festival and the perfect place to showcase my new film The Secret Life of Bees."
The five-day festival includes feature, documentary, and short film screenings, as well as panel discussions, live staged screenplay readings and the celebrated Actor's Spotlight, featuring Queen Latifah and to be aired on BET, with previous honorees including Vondie Curtis Hall, Samuel L. Jackson, Billy Dee Williams and Rosie Perez.
Urbanworld and BET Networks also announced this year's roster of marquee sponsors. HBO returns for the 12thyear as the founding sponsor of the Urbanworld Film Festival. Time Warner Cable joins the festival as a Prestige Sponsor. Grey Goose will serve as an Official Sponsor. Principal Sponsors will include The Weinstein Company, WNBC, Black Enterprise, ESSENCE, VIBE, and Power 105.1. The Directors Guild of America and AMC Theatres return as Benefactor Sponsors. Sponsoring studios include Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Company. The Hilton Times Square will serve as the host hotel of the festival, where registration and panels will take place.
Highlights and Notable Films of 2008 Urbanworld Film Festival Include:
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The Secret Life Of Bees, the special closing night screening, written for
the screen and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Queen Latifah (the
Festival's Honorary Chair), Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and
Sophie Okonedo. A touching story about the need for love, family and
redemption, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES explores our undeniable desire for a sense
of belonging and the often daunting journeys that we must navigate to achieve
it. Set in South Carolina during the turbulent Civil Rights era, the home of
the intelligent and independent honey-making Boatwright sisters (Latifah, Keys
and Okonedo) is suddenly thrust into upheaval with the arrival of fourteen
year-old Lily Owens (Fanning) and her caretaker Rosaleen (Hudson). Surrounded
by the unexpected comforts, grace and deep rooted spirituality Lily (Fanning)
encounters in the Boatwright home, she forms a maternal bond with each of
these women whose unique and special gifts help reconcile the loss of her
mother. Lily ultimately comes to the realization that sometimes you must
leave home in order to find it. The film is scheduled for nationwide release
on October 17, 2008.
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Wu: The Story Of The Wu Tang Clan, directed by Gerald Barclay, is a gritty
documentary that traces the history of the ever-popular Wu-Tang Clan. In the
summer of 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan emerged from the slums of Staten Island and
took the hip-hop world by storm. Their legacy spanned over a decade,
garnering fans worldwide and generating sales in excess of $50 million.
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For more information about the 2008 Urbanworld Film Festival presented by
BET Networks, please visit or www.urbanworld.org or www.bet.com/urbanworld.
ABOUT THE 2008 URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL:
Beginning this year, BET Networks has signed on for a three-year strategic partnership to present the
Urbanworld Film Festival. The unique partnership,
strengthened by BET's position as the leading media
and entertainment provider for African Americans and consumers of Black culture, will further establish
the festival as one of the world's largest competitive film festivals designed to redefine and enhance the
roles of multicultural constituents in
contemporary cinema.
12TH ANNUAL URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL
2008 ROSTER
Closing Night Film: THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES directed by Gina
Prince-Bythewood
Spotlight Screenings Include:
WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN directed by Gerald Barclay
TENNESSEE directed by Aaron Woodley
Narrative Features Include 16 Films:
BALL DON'T LIE directed by Brin Hill
BALLAST directed by Lance Hammer
CIGARETTES FOR BREAKFAST directed by Daniel Williams
I USED TO LOVE HER directed by Mark Harris
JAZZ IN THE DIAMOND DISTRICT directed by Lindsey Christian
PHANTOM PUNCH directed by Robert Townsend
SEAL TEAM VI directed by Mark Andrews
SECOND CHANCE directed by Iris Huey
SISTER'S KEEPER directed by Kent Faulcon
SOMETHING IS KILLING TATE directed by Leon Lozano
STREETBALLERS directed by Matt Krentz
THE HEART SPECIALIST directed by Dennis Cooper
THIS IS NOT A TEST directed by Christopher Angel
TRUTH HALL directed by Jade Dixon
UP WITH ME directed by Greg Takoudes
WHITE LIES BLACK SHEEP directed by James Spooner
Narrative Shorts Include 40 Films:
(MIS) LEADING MAN directed by Morocco Omari
3RD OF JULY directed by Ben Chace
A DAY'S WORK directed by Rajeev Dassani
A PRAYER directed by Louie P.
AFIA directed by Lacey Duke
AWILDA AND THE BEE directed by Lyndon McCray
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: THE MOVIE directed by Buttahman
CLASSIFIED directed by Sherman Payne
CRENSHAW NIGHTS directed by Pete D. Gelles
EXPECTATIONS OF A FATHER directed by Jerry E
HOLLYWOOD JEROME directed by Frey Hoffman
KUNG FU GRANNY directed by Myra Sito Velasquez
LARRY (THE ACTOR) directed by Eric Poydar
LIMPIANO SAPOS directed by Vero Shamo-Garcia
LINUS directed by Julius Onah
LO directed by Joe Kim
LOVE CONQUERS AL directed by Kamali Minter
NAPPY HEADS directed by Sabrina Moella
OVER DA RAINBOW directed by Jared Lapidus
PALM TREES DOWN 3RD STREET directed by Maria Judice
PAPICHULO directed by Marquis Smalls
PREMATURE directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green
SHY directed by April Rouveyrol
SIRI OKO FO directed by Heather Murphy
SOUTH CENTRAL DAZE directed by Marquise C.
THE DOLL directed by Dante James
THE PRINCE OF VENICE directed by Yaa Boaa Aning
THE SECOND COMING directed by Ya'ke Smith
THE SOUL SEARCHERS SERIES: GET THEE BEHIND ME directed by Jeffrey Wray
THE YOUNG AND EVIL directed by Julian Breece
UK SPOTLIGHT - BLANK SLATE SHORTS PROGRAM (8 FILMS)
URBAN GENESIS directed by Larry Bryant
VICTIM directed by Cesar Mazariegos
Documentary Features Include 19 Films:
ADJUST YOUR COLOR: THE TRUTH OF PETEY GREENE directed by Loren Mendell
ALL OF US directed by Emily Abt
ARUSI directed by Marjan Tehrani
BALLOU directed by Michael Patrei
BIGG SNOOP DOGG'S YOUTH AUTHORITY directed by Gabriel London
CALAVERA HIGHWAY directed by Renee Tajima-Pena
DIARY OF A TIRED BLACK MAN directed by Tim Alexander
FAMILIAR VOICES directed by Danny Mendoza
IN PRISON MY WHOLE LIFE directed by Marc Evans
LA AMERICANA directed by Nicholas Bruckman
MALCOLM'S ECHO: THE LEGACY OF MALCOLM X directed by Dami Akinnusi
NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET directed by James Dziura
ONE BAD CAT directed by Thomas G. Miller
SLINGSHOT HIP-HOP directed by Jackie Salloum
SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING directed by Robert Small
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WATER directed by Jeremy Robins
THE REAL GREAT DEBATERS directed by Brad Osborne
THIS IS THE LIFE directed by Ava DuVernay
TWO TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE directed by Guy Logan
Documentary Shorts Include 7 Films:
50 SHOTS directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green
EL PLAY directed by Pablo Medina
FRESH OF THE BOAT by Katrina Lucas
JUROR NUMBER SIX directed by Rachel Lyon
SEEN BUT NOT HEARD directed by Cyrille Phipps
THE 13TH AMENDMENT directed by Mike D.
URSULA RUCKER - POET directed by Michael J. Dennis
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