The Hate U Give & Widows Added To Urbanworld Festival SlatePosted by Wilson Morales
September 12, 2018
The 22nd Annual Urbanworld Film Festival (www.urbanworld.org), presented by AT&T’s The Humanity of Connection along with founding partner HBO, has confirmed additional spotlight presentations for its annual festival in New York September 19-23, 2018 at AMC Empire 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.
Amandla Stenberg leads 20th Century Fox’s The Hate U Give as Starr Carter, a girl constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil (played by Algee Smith), at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right. George Tillman Jr. directs the film based on the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestselling book by Angie Thomas. After the film closes the 2018 Urbanworld Film Festival on Saturday, September 22, 2018, there will be a conversation with Tillman, Stenberg and Smith moderated by ARRAY founder and Academy Award® nominee Ava DuVernay.
From Academy Award®-winning director Steve McQueen and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption. 20th Century Fox’s Widows is the story of four women (played by Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo) with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. It will screen at the festival on Friday, September 21, 2018. Set in contemporary Chicago amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when the women take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
Also on Friday, September 21, 2018, Urbanworld Digital returns to HBO Theater. The network will bring its Point of View (POV) campaign to life with its ‘A Behind the Scenes POV’ panel discussion that will feature a conversation from the perspective of the future of entertainment. Topics will include the creative process, the importance of storytelling and the behind the scenes experience with Halle Phillips (Associate Producer), Gina Atwater (Writer) and Liz Castro (VFX Producer) from HBO’s “Westworld.” Actress/filmmaker Adepero Oduye, Oscar® award-winning producer Donna Gigliotti and Sorry To Bother You producer Nina Yang Bongiovi are also among the confirmed panelists for the day of digital panels and workshops. “2018 marks HBO’s eighth year hosting Urbanworld Digital. As always, we anticipate an inspiring forum for conversation with talented filmmakers and industry disrupters. More than ever, culturally diverse and inclusive stories and voices are being created, celebrated and amplified. We look forward to hearing many of these innovative creators talk about the now and the future at our headquarters during the festival,” said Dennis Williams, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, HBO.
The cult classic Coming to America, directed by John Landis, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. A special spotlight screening of the film will also take place on Friday, September 21, 2018. Before the screening, “black-ish” creator Kenya Barris will moderate a Q&A with stars from the film including John Amos, Frankie Faison, Vondie Curtis-Hall and more.
BET Networks’ original film “Running Out of Time” will be showcased on Saturday, September 22, 2018. In the film directed by Christopher B. Stokes, newly widowed Brenda Harper and her family are taken hostage over something from her late husband’s past. The film’s star, Tasha Smith, will appear at the festival for a Q&A after the screening along with cast and filmmakers.
Smallfoot turns the myth upside down when a bright young Yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human. In this all new animated story from Warner Bros. about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery, news of this ‘smallfoot’ throws the simple Yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village. It will also screen at the festival on Saturday, September 22, 2018.
Urbanworld Music returns with a lineup of nightlife events during the festival. Courtesy of Jill Newman Productions there will be an opening night party featuring a special performance by Ray Angry (of The Roots). The festival will also co-host its first concert with Jill Newman Productions and present Grammy® award winning artist Bilal and artist/actor Ayo on September 22, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. at Sony Hall in NYC. Everyday People will curate festival afterparties throughout the week with a mix of DJs and live music showcases.
Others confirmed to attend the 2018 festival include Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Lil Rel Howery, Boris Kodjoe, Ramon Rodriguez, Mustafa Shakir, Simone Missick, director Malcolm D. Lee, producer Will Packer, journalist Elaine Welteroth and many more.
AT&T’s The Humanity of Connection will present the festival. “Here at AT&T, we are proud of our support of the Urbanworld Film Festival,” says Tanya L. Lombard, Head of Multicultural Engagement and Strategic Alliances, AT&T. “Its 22 year history affirms the ascendancy and growth of films and content by creatives of color.”
Along with founding partner HBO, key supporters include BET Networks as prestige partner and NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. and 21CF Global Inclusion as premiere partners. Industry partners include AMC Independent, ARRAY, MPAA, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, Writers Guild of America East and Urban Movie Channel: UMC. Media partners include Power 105 and The Amsterdam News.
Passes and tickets for the festival are on sale now on urbanworld.org. Follow @UWFilmFest on Twitter and @urbanworldfilmfest on Instagram and use #Urbanworld to join the conversation on social media.
