The 23rd Annual Urbanworld Film Festival along with founding partner HBO, has confirmed an additional spotlight, events and special guests for its annual festival in New York September 18-22, 2019 at AMC Empire 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.

Meshell Ndegeocello will join Urbanworld Music as a special guest, curated by and courtesy of Jill Newman Productions, on the festival’s opening night, Wednesday, September 18, 2019. Also featured opening night is the first film of UrbanWorld Film Festival, Harriet, directed by Kasi Lmmons and starring Cynthia Erivo, both are scheduled to be in attendance that night as well. UrbanWorld Digital will commence on Thursday and feature Actress, host and writer Yvette Nicole Brown. CLICK HERE FOR FULL SCHEDULE

from press release

On Thursday, September 19, 2019, Urbanworld Digital will commence at NYIT Auditorium on 1871 Broadway at 62nd Street. Actress, host and writer Yvette Nicole Brown, TV, film and stage actor Gbenga Akinnagbe and producers Lori McCreary (“Madame Secretary”), Tonya Lewis Lee (“She’s Gotta Have It”) and Alana Mayo (Head of Production & Development, Outlier Society) are a few of the many confirmed to appear for the day of panels and workshops to discuss topics including directing and writing movies for television and streaming, breaking in and building a career in entertainment, curating stories of inclusion and the future of the industry. The day’s full agenda is here.

ARRAY’s latest acquisition is the multi-award winning Burning Cane; written, directed, photographed and co-edited by 17-year-old NYU film student, Phillip Youmans. The intimate drama about a deeply religious woman’s struggle to reconcile her convictions of faith with the love she has for her alcoholic son and a troubled preacher (Wendell Pierce) captures the complexity and complacency of family life and religion in rural Louisiana. The critically acclaimed film will screen at Urbanworld on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 6:30 P.M. Immediately following, there will be a talk with producer and production designer Ojo Akinlana.

Actors O’Shea Jackson Jr., Kelvin Harrison Jr., Meagan Good, Nafessa Williams, Vondie Curtis Hall, Henry Hunter Hall, RonReaco Lee, Mark Tallman and Tobias Truvillion, talk show host Tamron Hall, Academy Award® winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher, director Anthony Mandler, producer Nikki Silver and journalists Salamishah Tillet, Jelani Cobb, Cori Murray and Felice León will appear at the festival and join previously confirmed 2019 guests Cynthia Erivo, Tika Sumpter, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Kasi Lemmons, Roger Ross Williams, Deon Taylor, Debra Martin Chase, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Lisa Cortes, Michelle Miller, Gia Peppers and attorney Bryan Stevenson.

Founding partner HBO is joined by key supporters including BET Networks as prestige partner and NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia and Warner Bros. as premiere partners. Industry partners include ARRAY, MPAA, ABC Studios, Screen Gems, UMC: Urban Movie Channel, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America East. The Root, Essence, WNYC and Power 105 are media partners. Diageo and Crown Royal are spirits partners, hosting the Crown Royal Lounge during the festival.

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ABOUT URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL

Urbanworld Film Festival was launched in August 1997 by founder Stacy Spikes, co-founder of MoviePass and a former executive at Miramax and October Films. With estimated attendance reaching over 15,000, the five-day festival anchored in film showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, spotlight screenings and live staged screenplay readings; the Urbanworld Digital track focuses on digital panels and workshops; and the Urbanworld Music franchise highlights emerging talent in live performances during festival events. For over two decades, Hollywood studios and indie film distributors, as well as established and emerging filmmakers, have consistently chosen Urbanworld to the premiere box office and award-winning hits. The Urbanworld Film Festival is an initiative of the Urbanworld Foundation Inc. Gabrielle Glore serves as Festival Director & Head of Programming. The organization’s website is urbanworld.org.