The 2020 Urbanworld Film Festival is coming up and a jam-packed slate has been set. Over 100 official selections panels and conversations will all be seen online at urbanworld.org from Sept. 23 – Sept. 27. The festival is presented with founding partner HBO and prestige partner WarnerMedia.
David Oyelowo’s feature directorial debut, The Water Man will open the festival and will have a Q&A moderated by Ava DuVernay. Come Away, starring Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie, will close the festival.
Other films featured include Hulu’s Bad Hair from Justin Simien, HBO Max’s critically acclaimed Charm City Kings and many others. There will be conversations and panels, including one with the cast of Candyman, as well as a talk with Radha Blank and Robert Townsend on The Forty-Year-Old Version. A sneak peek of Amazon Studios’ Sylvie’s Love will also be shown during opening night, and there will also be a panel for the studio’s All In: The Fight for Democracy featuring Stacey Abrams.
“In an unimaginable year of change, we remain inspired by the creativity, culture and community that prevail in this brave new virtual world. Powerful storytelling is now more important than ever and Urbanworld is proud to be a consistent platform that brings Black, Indigenous and people of color storytellers and audiences together from across the globe,” said Gabrielle Glore, Festival Director & Head of Programming, Urbanworld Film Festival.
You can check out the full film slate below and get full details, as well as the entire list of panels, at urbanworld.org:
OPENING NIGHT
The Water Man – Directed by David Oyelowo (Presented by Harpo Films & ShivHans Pictures)
CLOSING DAY
Come Away – Directed by Brenda Chapman
SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS
Bad Hair – Directed by Justin Simien (Presented by Hulu)
Candyman – Directed by Nia DaCosta (Presented by Universal Pictures)
Charm City Kings – Directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Presented by HBO Max)
Gangs of London, Soul Mates & Walking Dead: World Beyond (Presented by AMC Networks)
Noughts & Crosses – Directed by Julian Homes & Koby Adom (Presented by Peacock)
Siempre, Luis – Directed by John James (Presented by HBO)
The Forty-Year-Old Version – Directed by Radha Blank (Presented by Netflix)
U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURES
A New York Christmas Wedding – Directed by Otoja Abit
A Shot Through The Wall – Directed by Aimee Long
American Thief – Directed by Miguel Silveira
Farewell Amor – Directed by Ekwa Msangi
Millennium Bugs – Directed by Alejandro Montoya Marin
Paradise City – Directed by John Marco Lopez (World Premiere)
Playing With Beethoven – Directed by Jenn Page
Take Out Girl – Directed by Hisonni Mustafa
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain – Directed by David Midell
Waikiki – Directed by Christopher Kahunahana (World Premiere)
WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE FEATURES
A Rose Between Thorns – Directed by Nigel Lewis (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Barakat – Directed by Amy Jephta (South Africa)
Death of Nintendo – Directed by Raya Martin (Philippines/U.S.A.)
Hoy – Directed by Ricardo B’atz’ (El Salvador) (World Premiere)
Kings of Mulberry Street – Directed by Judy Naidoo (South Africa)
Lily Of The Valley – Directed by Giovanni Rustanto (Indonesia)
Malpaso – Directed by Héctor Valdez (Dominican Republic)
Number 37 – Directed by Nosipho Dumisa (South Africa)
SALVATION – Directed by Carmen Sangion (South Africa)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Alice Street – Directed by Spencer Wilkinson
Dark City Beneath the Beat – Directed by TT The Artist
THE DONUT KING – Directed by Alice Gu.
Zulu Man In Japan – Directed by Colin Gayle, Nhlakanipho Teddy Mkhize (South Africa) (World Premiere)
YOUNG CREATORS SHOWCASE
Artist, Act Of Love – Directed by Kuukua Eshun (Ghana)
Graduation – Directed by Robin Wang (World Premiere)
Limelight – Directed by Claire Gostin (World Premiere)
NAHJUM – Directed by Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle (Mexico)
On The Whistle – Directed by TJ Noel-Sullivan
Remember When – Directed by Paola Ossa
Since Ambreen – Directed by Alexandre Ayoub (France) (World Premiere)
The Other Side – Directed by Josh Leong (Ethiopia)
NARRATIVE SHORTS
410 Stamped – Directed by Nikki Taylor Roberts
4Melvin – Directed by McCristol Harris III, Du’ana Speights (World Premiere)
A BLOSSOM IN THE NIGHT – Directed by Tayo Amos (World Premiere)
A Storybook Ending – Directed by Lanre Olabisi
American Dream – Directed by Nicolas Polixene, Sylvain Loubet dit Gajol (France)
Baldwin Beauty – Directed by Thembi Banks
Beef – Directed by Ingride Santos (Spain)
Bill & Robert – Directed by Kamaria J. Hodge
Black – Directed by Tamika R. Guishard (World Premiere)
Broken Bird – Directed by Rachel Harrison Gordon
clarissa – Directed by Shanrica Evans (World Premiere)
Crutch-Tap – Directed by Michael Basha
Da Yie – Directed by Anthony Nti (Ghana/Belgium)
Dark Skin – Directed by Iñaki Velasquez (Chile)(World Premiere)
Down Dog – Directed by Shae Xu
Driving While Black Magic – Directed by Julia C Liu
Eagle – Directed by Jose Acevedo
elephant – Directed by Gladys San Juan (United Kingdom)
Estilo Americano – Directed by Miriam Kruishoop
For Rosa – Directed by Kathryn Boyd-Batstone (World Premiere)
Gets Good Light – Directed by Alejandra Parody (World Premiere)
Great America – Directed by Angelita Mendoza (World Premiere)
Harana – Directed by Marie Jamora (Philippines/U.S.A.)
Heading South – Directed by Yuan Yuan (China/U.S.A.)
Headlock – Directed by Damon Laguna
Home by 8.30 – Directed by Perry White (United Kingdom)
How Can I Forget – Directed by Natalia Andreadis (United Kingdom)
KEON – Directed by E.G. Bailey
Leave Us Here – Directed by Tari Wariebi (World Premiere)
Miss Boundless – Directed by Qiyu Zhou
Oh Geno! – Directed by Onyinye Egenti (United Kingdom)
PHONY – Directed by Jessica dela Merced
Princess Cut – Directed by Elaine Del Valle
Rosa – Directed by Suha Araj
Soukoon – Directed by Farah Shaer (Lebanon)
tender – Directed by Felicia Pride
The Price of Cheap Rent – Directed by Amina Sutton, Maya Tanaka
Through the Wire – Directed by umi (World Premiere)
What the Wind Carries – Directed by Trey Ellis, Chris Chuang
White Eye – Directed by Tomer Shushan (Israel)
YALLA – Directed by Carlo D’Ursi (Spain/Italy) (World Premiere)
YOUR KID – Directed by Nelson Foix (France)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Dwayne’s World – Directed by Geno Dimaria (World Premiere)
I’m Not Bad Luck (The True Story of Kesz Valdez) – Directed by Marcos Negrão, Johanna Schnell (Brazil/U.S.A.) (World Premiere)
Landry – Directed by Meeto Worre Kronborg Grevsen (Denmark)
My Father The Mover – Directed by Julia Jansch (South Africa)
Out of the Shadows – Directed by Rafael Samanez
The Heart Still Hums – Directed by Savanah Leaf, Taylor Russell
ANIMATION SHORTS
About Her – Directed by Wagner Cinelli (Brazil)(World Premiere)
Migrante – Directed by Esteban Ezequiel Dalinger, César Daniel Iezzi (Argentina)
The Power of Hope – Directed by Kalia Love Jones (World Premiere)
Umbrella – Directed by Helena Hilario, Mario Pece (Brazil)
Windup – Directed by Yibing Jiang
WEB ORIGINALS
East of La Brea – Directed by Sam Bailey
EKLYPSE: A Hip Hop Fable – Directed by Eden Marryshow (World Premiere)
MANILENNIALS – Directed by E del Mundo
Sasha & Condi – Directed by Lucretia Stinnette
Sole Kings – Directed by Michael Pinckney
MUSIC VIDEOS
Black Pumas Colors – Directed by Kristian Mercado
Crónico – Directed by Claudia Calderón (Puerto Rico)
Healing Creek – Directed by Kevin Brooks
James Arthur feat. Travis Barker – You – Directed by Timon Birkhofer (Germany)
NEVA GO TOUCH AM – Directed by JOJO ABOT (World Premiere)
Princess Nokia “Green Eggs and Ham” – Directed by Sebastian Sdaigui
Rapsody feat. Leikeli47 – “Oprah” – Directed by Farah X
Suzanna – Directed by Director K (Kenya) (World Premiere)
Terrace Martin – Pig Feet (feat. Denzel Curry, Kamasi Washington, G Perico, & Daylyt) – Directed by Terrace Martin, Jasper Graham, Brendan Walter
SCREENPLAYS
Cinnamon – Written By Bryian K. Montgomery Jr.
Ellie’s Tale – Written By Rhonda Deskins
How To Catch A Unicorn – Written By Chad Quinn
If You Seek Britney – Written By Ama Quao
