The Urbanworld Film Festival is returning to NYC.
Founded in partnership with HBO, the 23rd annual event will kick off next week at AMC Empire 25, 234 W. 42nd St. The festival will continue to celebrate the diversity within arts and entertainment, showcasing a broad range of content from creatives of color and women around the word.
"Each year we strive to expand our programming slate to expose stories, themes and characters that have been under-represented in our world. This year is no exception," festival director Gabrielle Glore said in a press release. "What is most exciting to see is the continued elevation of quality manifested across our content creators’ work, as we celebrate their creativity and craft."
This year's festival will feature 78 official selections and seven spotlight selections, the first of which will be Kasi Lemmons' Harriet, a Harriet Tubman biopic starring Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo.
"I’m thrilled to share Harriet with the Urbanworld Film Festival audience. The experience of creating this film was life-changing for me in so many ways," said Lemmons, who will also serves as this year's Urbanworld ambassador. "We are honored to open this festival and look forward to discussing our journey with such a passionate group of film lovers."
The five-day event will also screen the world premiere of Nelson George's documentary A Great Day in Hip Hop Revisited; Roger Ross' The Apollo; Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx; Black Girl Church from Marissa Pina, Audrey Williams, and Joe Schaefer; and Black and Blue starring Naomie Harris and Tyrese Gibson.
You can check out the full schedule at Urbanworld's official website. The festival will begin Sept. 18 and conclude Sept. 22.
