Urbanworld Announces 2012 Film SlatePosted by Wilson Morales
August 23, 2012
The 16th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival (www.urbanworld.org), presented by BET Networks, announced its 2012 slate today.
The nation’s largest competitive multicultural film festival, Urbanworld will take place September 19-23, 2012 at midtown Manhattan’s AMC 34th Street and will screen 49 films, including 17 world premieres.
Ava DuVernay‘s 2012 Sundance-winning Middle of Nowhere (Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lorraine Toussaint, Dondre Whitfield, Omari Hardwick), a feature film based on the story of a medical student whose world is turned upside down when her husband is incarcerated, will serve as Urbanworld’s Closing Night selection. DuVernay is the first African American woman to win “Best Director” at Sundance.
Highlights of Urbanworld 2012 include: The Girl Is In Trouble (starring Columbus Short, Wilmer Valderama), Won’t Back Down (starring Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rosie Perez), The Triptych (featuring visual artists Sanford Biggers, Wangechi Mutu, Barron Claiborne), Four (featuring Wendell Pierce), Doin’ It In The Park (co-directed by Kevin Couliau and Bobbito Garcia), and narrative shorts directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Grace) and Hill Harper (The Truth).
BET Networks returns for a fifth year as presenting sponsor along with founding sponsor HBO®, who will host the Urbanworld Digital program again this year. “BET Networks is proud to support the 16th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival celebrating the amazing creativity and work of our community’s most talented filmmakers,” said Loretha Jones, President of Original Programming. “This is the leading showcase for multicultural films, which connects and brings the BET audience closer to the new wave of emerging talent. We applaud the Urbanworld® Foundation Inc. for its continuous leadership in redefining the multicultural roles in the world of entertainment and look forward to this year’s upcoming slate of films.”
“For 16 years, Urbanworld has brought hundreds of multicultural films to light and connected countless filmmakers with audiences around the world,” said Gabrielle Glore, executive producer and head of programming for Urbanworld. “With the ongoing support of partners such as BET and HBO, we will continue to provide a vehicle for diverse filmmakers to tell their stories, while expanding the perception of ‘urban’ sensibility.”
URBANWORLD 2012 FILM SLATE
OPENING NIGHT FILM
To Be Announced
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Middle of Nowhere – Directed by Ava DuVernay – New York Premiere
SPOTLIGHTS
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty – Directed by Terence Nance
BMF: The Rise & Fall of A Hip Hop Drug Empire – Directed by Don Sikorski – World Premiere
The Girl is In Trouble – Directed by Julius Onah
The Triptych – Directed by Terence Nance
Won’t Back Down – Directed by Daniel Barnz
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Candid – Directed by Vishnu Seesahai – World Premiere
Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till – Directed by Rob Underhill
Elza – Directed by Mariette Monpierre – New York Premiere
Four – Directed by Joshua Sanchez
Small of Her Back – Directed by Russell Sharman – World Premiere
Tunnel Vision – Directed by Delila Vallot – World Premiere
The Last Fall – Directed by Matthew Cherry
Wolf – Directed by Ya’Ke Smith
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Benji – Co-Directed by Chike Ozah & Coodie Simmons
Doin’ It In The Park – Co-Directed by Kevin Couliau & Bobbito Garcia
From Fatherless to Fatherhood – Directed by Kobie Brown
Getting Up: The Tempt One Story – Directed by Caskey Ebeling – New York Premiere
In Our Heads About Our Hair – Directed by Hemamset Angaza
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on 4 Strings – Directed by Tadashi Nakamura – U.S. Premiere
Justice for Sale – Co-Directed by Femke van Velzen, Isle van Velzen – New York Premiere
Men At Work: Voices from Detroit’s Underground Economy – Directed by H. James Gilmore – World Premiere
Soul Food Junkies – Directed by Byron Hurt
NARRATIVE SHORTS
“Advantageous” – Directed by Jennifer Phang
“Baby Half Lie” – Directed by Limberly Miller-Price – U.S. Premiere
“Barbasol” – Directed by Ralph Scott – World Premiere
“Cherry Waves” – Directed by Carey Williams – New York Premiere
“Crossover” – Directed by Tina Mabry
“Delivery” – Directed by Fabien Ortiz – U.S. Premiere
“Docket 32357” – Directed by Randy Wilkens – New York Premiere
“El Cocodrillo (The Crocodile)” – Directed by Steve Acevedo – U.S. Premiere
“Forever In Hiatus” – Directed by Andy Nguyen – World Premiere
“Frisk” – Directed by Tahir Jetter – World Premiere
“Grace” – Directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield – World Premiere
“High Card Trumps” – Directed by Geoffrey Quan – World Premiere
“I Am John Wayne” – Directed by Christina Choe
“Impounded” – Directed by Adam Watson – World Premiere
“Junior” – Directed by Jeffrey Elmont – U.S. Premiere
“Lock And Key” – Directed by Dana Verde – World Premiere
“Lovers” – Directed by Alan Algee – World Premiere
“Nani” – Directed by Justin Tipping
“Record/Play” – Directed by Jesse Atlas – U.S. Premiere
“Sleep” – Directed by Donald Conley
“The Bluest Note” – Directed by Marques Green – World Premiere
“The Collegians” – Directed by Bryan Lewis – World Premiere
“The Last / First Kiss” – Directed by Andrea Ashton – World Premiere
“The Truth” – Directed by Hill Harper – World Premiere
“White Space” – Directed by Maya Washington – U.S. Premiere
SCREENPLAY FINALISTS
Agent 12 & The Messiah Stone – Written by Peter Lord
Escaping Bushwick – Written by Javier Ortiz
Slang – Written by Deneen Reynolds-Knott
The 4th Level – Written by Craig Ross, Jr.
The Brooklyn Bubble – Written by T. Tara Turk
TELEPLAY FINALISTS
“Nala’s Heart” – Written by Pauline Gray
“Loving Luenell” – Written by Kent Faulcon, Chris Simmons, William Lee
“There Goes The Neighborhood” – Written by Risa Brown
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NARRATIVE FEATURES JURORS
Dori Begley, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions, Magnolia Pictures
Nikkole Denson-Randolph, Vice President, Specialty & Alternative Content, AMC Theatres
Lisa Cortes, Producer, Cortes Films
Rashaad Ernesto Green, Writer/Director, Mi Alma Films
James Lopez, Senior Vice President, Production, Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Entertainment
NARRATIVE SHORTS JURORS
Artel Great, Award Winning Filmmaker & Film Historian
Nick Hall, Vice President, HBO Entertainment
Niija Kuykendall, Vice President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures
Tambay Obenson, Chief Editor, Shadow & Act
Frida Torresblanco, Producer, Braven Film
DOCUMENTARY FEATURED JURORS
Michael Eric Dyson, Author, Professor, & Cultural Critic
Jackie Glover, Vice President, Documentary Films, HBO
Carleen L. Hsu, Producer, The Kitchen Sync Group, Inc.
SCREENPLAY JURORS
Franklin Leonard, Vice President, Creative Affairs, Overbrook Entertainment
Connie Orlando, Vice President, Original Programming, BET Networks
TELEPLAY JURORS
Jacque Edmonds Coffer, Executive Producer, Let’s Stay Together, BET
Jocelyn Freid, Vice President, Original Programming, BET Networks
Erica Montolfo, Executive Producer, The Game, BET
