 |
|
|
|
(L
to r) William Jennings ("Harlem Aria"), Estela Bravo
("Fidel"), Craig Ross, Jr. ("Blue Hill Avenue"),
and Beresford Bennett, screenplay winner.
|
Urban World Celebrates Five Years of Building Black Film
by Esther Iverem
SeeingBlack.com Editor and Film Critic
Talk
about independent Black films! Click here.
The Urbanworld Film Festival, held this year August 1-5 in New
York City, celebrated its fifth anniversary by showing more than
60 films highlighting the range of creativity existing outside mainstream
cinema and television. With film screenings in Times Square and
in Harlem, as well as panels, parties and an upgraded awards presentation,
Urbanworld showcased the vitality of the independent film movement.
Unlike the Acapulco Black Film
Festival, which has a stronger emphasis on feature films, Urbanworld
also presents a variety of short films, as well as several strong
documentaries. One of the noteworthy documentaries, "Beyond
Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel," is showing
on AMC. While the nucleus of Urbanworld is Black cinema, it also
includes films made by others about the African-American, Latino,
Asian and urban experience.
 |
|
Bill
Dee Williams, Hill Harper, and Rae Dawn Chong star in the
critically acclaimed film "The Visit."
|
"It is really difficult being an independent filmmaker," said Craig
Ross, Jr., while picking up an award for Best Director for his gangster
flick, "Blue Hill Avenue."
"Sometimes I wonder if the path I've chosen is the right one. "I'm
thankful for recognition at Urbanworld because it makes me believe
that maybe I've done the right thing."
Both Acapulco and Urbanworld are celebrating their fifth anniversary
this year, patting themselves on the back for creating truly national
festivals for the Black film community, and distribution deals.
Recognizing this lack, each organization has formed an independent
distribution company to bring these films to theaters near you.
This year, Urbanworld Films made its first theatrical release with
"The Visit," the powerful prison drama starring Hill Harper and
Billy Dee Williams. The film's promotion, distribution and box office
receipts were spotty but the film garnered good reviews. Urbanworld
Films is also planning five new releases, including "For Da Love
of Money," starring the comedian Pierre.
Jeff Friday, founder of the Acapulco festival, has formed Film
Life, which will have its first theatrical release this October
with "One Week," a riveting
story about AIDS in the African-American community, directed by
Carl Seaton, which won awards at both festivals last year. "We're
able to release our own films. We don't need to rely on Hollywood,"
said Stacy Spikes, founder and chairman emeritus of the Urbanworld
festival. "It's our responsibility as a people to get the work out."
In addition to "Blue Hill Avenue," a variety of films received
awards at Urbanworld this year. "Lift," a complex drama about a
young shoplifter by DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter, won the Best
Feature award. A prize for Artistic Achievement went to "Love
Come Down," a drama about interracial relationships and the
strength of family ties. The New York-heavy crowd gave the Audience
Award to "Harlem Aria," a drama written and directed by William
Jennings about a mentally challenged man who dreams of becoming
an opera singer.
Two documentaries won awards: "Raisin' Kane: A Rapumentary," about
the world of hip-hop, directed by Alison Duke, and "Fidel,"
an up-close chronology of Cuba's revolutionary leader, directed
by Estela Bravo. Also emotionally complex, "The Life and Times of
Little Jimmie B.," based on the writer James Baldwin's childhood
and written and directed by Alison McDonald, won the award for Best
Short. Beresford Bennett, an actor based in Brooklyn, won the screenplay
competition with "Mood Indigo," concerned with three sets of people
with romantic entanglements.
Read complete reviews of films at the festival for:
Esther Iverem's reviews can also be found on the lifestyle and
movies pages of BET.com
Related Sites:
-- September 10, 2001
© Copyright
2001-05 Seeing Black, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
