NEW YORK, NY (September 22, 2013) – The 17th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks, has announced the winners of the narrative feature, documentary feature, documentary short, narrative short, screenplay, teleplay and audience award categories. The five-day festival was held September 18-22 and concluded today with an awards reception at Tribeca Grill Loft hosted by style and beauty expert Tai Beauchamp and actor/producer Gbenga Akinnagbe. Urbanworld, which screened 60 films this year (including 4 world premieres and 2 U.S. premieres), is the largest internationally competitive festival dedicated to the exhibition of independent cinema by and about people of color. Urbanworld thanks its partners BET Networks- presenting sponsor, HBO- founding sponsor, Universal- premiere sponsor, their industry circle partners and media partners.
The 17th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival winners are:
Best Narrative Feature – Presented by Fox Audience Strategy – $5,000 Cash Prize
THE VOLUNTEER
Directed by Vicky Wight
Honorable Mention:
Sable Fable – Directed by Stephen Jackson
Best Documentary Feature
THE NEW BLACK
Directed by Yoruba Richen
Honorable Mention:
Brother’s Hypnotic – Directed by Reuben Atlas
Best Narrative Short – Presented by HBO – $5,000 Cash Prize
“CRESCENDO”
Directed by Alonso Alvarez
Honorable Mention:
Baghdad Messi – Directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa
Best Screenplay – Presented by BET Networks – $5,000 Cash Prize
“YEAR OF OUR LORD”
Written by Darius Clark Monroe
Best Teleplay – Presented by BET Networks – $5,000 Cash Prize
“MEL & MISSY”
Written by Allison Bonner Shillingford
Audience Award – Feature
FULL CIRCLE
Directed by Solvan “Slick” Naim
Audience Award – Short
“FLY ON OUT”
Directed by Robert Kolodny
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The 17th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival Jurors are:
NARRATIVE FEATURES JURORS
- Dori Begley – Senior Vice President, Magnolia Pictures
- Nikkole Denson-Randolph – Vice President – Specialty & Alternative Content, AMC Theatres
- Zola B. Mashariki – Senior Vice President, Production, Fox Searchlight Pictures
- Valerie Meraz – Vice President, Program Acquisitions, Turner Entertainment Networks
- Maria Zuckerman – Vice President, HBO Films
NARRATIVE SHORTS JURORS
- Andre Des Rochers – Partner, Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers LLP
- Kelly Edwards – VP, Talent Development, HBO
- Smokey D. Fontaine – Chief Content & Creative Officer, Interactive One
- Niija Kuykendall – Vice President, Production Warner Bros. Pictures
- Frida Torresblanco – Award Winning Producer
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURORS
- Jacqueline Glover – Vice President, Documentary Films, HBO
- Shola Lynch – Award-Winning Filmmaker
- Tricia Rose – Professor of Africana Studies, Brown University
SCREENPLAY JURORS
- Scott Budnick – President, Green Hat Films
- Franklin Leonard – Founder, The Black List
- Christopher Mack – Vice President, Warner Bros. Television Workshop, Warner Bros. Entertainment
- Constance Orlando – Vice President, Original Programming, BET Networks
- Heather Morris Washington – Manager, Emerging Writers Fellowship Program, Universal Pictures
TELEPLAY JURORS
- Roger Bobb – President & CEO, Bobbcat Films
- Nkechi Okoro Carroll – Writer
- Erica Montolfo-Bura – Executive Producer
For more information on the Urbanworld Film Festival, visit www.urbanworld.org.
