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Filmmakers Honored at the
Urbanworld
Awards Brunch
Free,
Urbanworld founder Stacy Spikes, Datwon
Thomas
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NEW YORK,
NY (September 20, 2010) - The 14th Annual
Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks,
has announced the winners of the narrative feature, documentary
feature, narrative short, documentary short, screenplay, teleplay
and audience award categories. The five-day festival was held
September 15-19 in New York City and concluded yesterday with an
awards brunch -- hosted by tv/radio personality
FREE and VIBE editorial director
Datwon Thomas -- at Tribeca Grill Loft. Founded by
Stacy Spikes, Urbanworld, which screened 71 films this year,
is the largest internationally competitive festival
dedicated to the exhibition of independent cinema by and about
people of color.
The
14th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival winners are:
Best Narrative Feature
MOOZ-LUM
Written and Directed by Qasim Basir; Produced by Dana Offenbach and
Samad Davis
Best Narrative Short
KATRINA'S SON
Written and Directed by Ya'Ke; Produced by Ya'Ke and Ralph
Lopez
Best Documentary Feature
BOUNCING CATS
Written and Directed by Nabil Elderkin, Isaac Hagy: Produced by
Nyla Hassell, George Mays, Claude Merkel and Charles Spano
Best Documentary Short
ONE OF THESE MORNINGS
Directed and Produced by Valery Lyman
Best Screenplay
GRACEY
Written by Julian Breece
Best Teleplay
LOVE AND POLITICS
Written by Tracy Oliver
Audience Award
FINDING GOD IN THE CITY OF
ANGELS
Written by Simon J. Joseph, Ph.D; Directed by Jennifer Jessum;
Produced by Jennifer Jessum, Simon J. Joseph and Edward
Osei-Gyimah
Audience Award Honorable Mention
I WILL FOLLOW
Written, Directed and Produced by Ava DuVernay
Photos by
Stephen Knight
Qasim
Basir - Mooz-lum Ava
DuVernay - I Will Follow Valery Lyman - One of
These Mornings
Jennifer
Jessum w/ husband - Finding God in the City Angels Awards
Brunch hosts FREE and Datwon Thomas
Julian Breece - Gracey Ya Ke - Katrina's
Son Tamara Gregory - BET Networks
Over 120 film VIPs attended the brunch at Tribeca Grill
(l-r) Brian Jones, Stacy Spikes, Stacy's daughter Ellery
Spikes,
Samantha Debicki, Brittany Ballard and Gabrielle
Glore
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'I WILL FOLLOW' CLOSES
URBANWORLD
Royale
Watkins, Dijon Talton, Michole White, Ava DuVernay, Salli
Richardson, Omari Hardwick
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Urbanworld closed
its 14th film festival on Saturday with the world premiere of
I Will Follow, directed by Ava
DuVernay (My Mic Sounds Nice) and starring
Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Sci Fi Channel's
"Eureka"), Omari Hardwick ("Dark Blue," For
Colored Girls), Dijon Talton ("Glee"),
Michole White ("Medium"), and comedian
Royale Watkins. The film - which screened to a
theater so packed, people sat on the floor - received a standing
ovation, after which ESSENCE entertainment director,
Cori Murray, moderated a Q&A session.
Additional screenings on Saturday included the ESPN "30 for 30"
documentary One Night in Vegas, directed
by Reggie Rock Bythewood and HBO's
Boardwalk Empire, directed by
Martin Scorsese and starring Michael
Kenneth Williams (The Wire).
Photos by
Stephen Knight
Salli
Richardson-Whitfield Salli
Richardson-Whitfield & Omari Hardwick Michole
White
Dijon Talton Michael Kenneth
Williams Reggie Rock Bythewood
Kid
Capri
Ava DuVernay & Michaela Angela Davis
Cori Murray Smokey
Fontaine
Michole and Salli at the I Will Follow
Q&A Standing room only at the I
Will Follow screening
For more
information on the Urbanworld Film Festival, visit www.urbanworld.org.
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FANS FLOCK TO FRIDAY
NIGHT'S
'MOOZ-LUM'
PREMIERE
Nia
Long
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Friday
night at Urbanworld was a sold-out success, as hundreds flocked to
see the premiere of Mooz-lum, directed by
Qasim Basir and starring Nia Long, Danny
Glover, Evan Ross, Roger Guenveur Smith, Dorian Missick
and newcomer Maryam Basir. Additional premieres on
Friday included Bouncing Cats (narrated
by Common and starring the Rock Steady Crew's
Crazy Legs), Kid Capri Presents: The
Lionz Den and Hear Me,
directed by Kenn Michael.
Photos by
Stephen Knight
Nia Long
Evan Ross Roger Guenveur
Smith
Mooz-lum
director Qasim Basir Maryam
Basir Marilinda Rivera ("Project Runway"/Hear
Me)
Crazy Legs (Bouncing Cats) Roger
Guenveur Smith, Nia Long, Stacy Spikes
Nia Long with Mooz-lum
fans Serius Jones and Loaded
Lux from The Lionz Den
For more
information on the Urbanworld Film Festival, visit www.urbanworld.org.
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AND LAST
WEEK AT ATL LIVE ON THE
PARK...
If you
missed it, the September edition of Shanti Das and
Marlon Nichols' ATL LIVE ON THE
PARK last Tuesday featured show-stopping performances by
Anthony David, Elisabeth Withers, and
Britni Elise. Check out what went down at Park
Tavern...
Photos
by James Pray
Anthony
David, Shanti Das, Elisabeth Withers, Britni
Elise Rodney Perry ("The Mo'Nique
Show")
Anthony David shows out on
stage. Elisabeth
Withers hits a high note.
Britni Elise feels the spirit. Marlon Nichols, Shanti Das
and Kenny Burns DJ Salah Ananse
For more
information on ATL Live on the Park, visit www.facebook.com/shantidasandmarlonnicholspresents.
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Shante Bacon
Founder/CEO
Saptosa Foster
Managing Partner
404-909-6493
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