NEW YORK, NY (November 6, 2023) – The 27th Annual Urbanworld® Film Festival (www.urbanworld.org), along with prestige partner Warner Bros. Discovery and founding partner HBO, announced the 2023 award winners for the best narrative feature, documentary feature, documentary short, young creator, narrative short (U.S. and World Cinema), animated short, experimental, screenplay, as well as the New York Women in Film and Television awards for best female director, feature and short.
The nation’s largest competitive multicultural film festival screened 73 official selections, 7 spotlight screenings, 3 spotlight conversations, and featured 5 Urbanworld Innovation sessions and 4 original screenplay finalists.
The 2023 Urbanworld Film Festival winners are:
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (U.S.)
Frybread Face and Me – Directed by Billy Luther
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (WORLD)
Sira – Directed by Apolline Traoré
Honorable Mention: Inky Pinky Ponky – Directed by Damon Fepulea’i and Ramon TeWake
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Brief Tender Light – Directed by Arthur Musah
Presented by ESPN Films
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Slice – Directed by Zaire Love
Honorable Mention – Things Long Left Unsaid – Directed by Antonia Thornton
BEST YOUNG CREATOR
The Old Young Crow – Directed by Liam LoPinto
Honorable Mention – Shallots and Garlic – Directed by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Presented by The Walt Disney Studios
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT (U.S.)
Spaceship – Directed by Jorge G. Camarena
Honorable Mention
Jerome – Directed by Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz
Death and Ramen – Directed by Tiger Ji
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT (WORLD)
Yellow – Directed by Elham Ehsas
BEST ANIMATION SHORT
Tomato Kitchen – Directory by Junyi Xiao
Honorable Mention
Lil Ruby – Directed by Bartek Kik
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
Quiet As It’s Kept – Directed by Ja’Tovia M. Gary
BEST SCREENPLAY
Long Live AJ – Written by Marvin Van Buren
Honorable Mention
The Washroom – Written by Elie El Choufany and Omar Al Dakheel
URBANWORLD AUDIENCE AWARD BEST SHORT
Homing – Directed by Ricardo Varona
URBANWORLD AUDIENCE AWARD BEST FEATURE
Brief Tender Light – Directed by Arthur Musah
NYWIFT AWARD for BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR, US NARRATIVE FEATURE
Sira – Directed by Apolline Traoré
Presented by New York Women In Film & Television
NYWIFT AWARD for BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR, US NARRATIVE SHORT
Lunch Box – Directed by Anne Hu
Reunion – Directed by Zainab Jah
Presented by New York Women In Film & Television
For more information about Urbanworld or New York Women in Film & Television, click here.
This content was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on social media @Ntellectual.
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