The war epic film Devotion directed by JD Dillard, and starring Jonathan Majors opens this year’s 26th Urbanworld Film Festival, boasting a strong film slate. Majors will also serve as the festival’s official ambassador.
Devotion tells the story or two US Navy Fighter pilots who helped turn the tide in the most brutal battle in the Korean War. Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), the first Black aviator in Navy history, and his fellow pilot Tom Hudner sacrificed heroically for each other and the nation.
“This year’s slate is incredibly impressive,” said Karen McMullen, Head of Programming. “We have some of the top artists in the industry as well as exciting new voices premiering their films at Urbanworld. We can’t wait to see everyone in person in New York City to help us celebrate our dynamic films and filmmakers,” she said.
URBANWORLD 2022 OFFICIAL SELECTION SLATE
SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS
Devotion – Directed by JD Dillard (Presented by Sony)
Say Hey, Willie Mays! – Directed by Nelson George (Presented by HBO)
The Inspection – Directed by Elegance Bratton (Presented by A24)
CLIPS & CONVERSATIONS
Adventr.io World Premiere (Presented by Devo Harris)
Black Mafia Family: Blowing Money Fast Documentary with Shan Nicholson (Presented by STARZ)
Black Market Green with Ukachi Arinzeh
I Wanna Dance with Somebody with Kasi Lemmons (Presented by Sony)
The Best Man with Malcolm Lee (Presented by Peacock)
U.S./WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE FEATURES
Freedom’s Path – Directed by Brett Smith (East Coast Premiere)
Good Egg – Directed by Nicole Gomez Fisher (New York Premiere)
Jasmine is a Star – Directed by Jo Rochelle (New York Premiere)
Me Little Me – Directed by Elizabeth Ayiku (New York Premiere)
Talia’s Journey (Belgium/Luxembourg/Senegal) – Directed by Christophe Rolin (U.S Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
A Woman on the Outside – Directed by Lisa Riordan Seville, Zara Katz (New York Premiere)
Chile Estyle (Canada) – Directed by Pablo Aravena (World Premiere)
Fenom – Directed by Kayla Johnson (New York Premiere)
Handle With Care: The Legend of The Notic Streetball Crew (Canada) – Directed by Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux and Kirk Thomas (U.S. Premiere)
HARGROVE– Directed by Eliane Henri
Silent Beauty – Directed by Jasmín Mara López (New York Premiere)
THE MELT GOES ON FOREVER: The Art & Times of David Hammons – Directed by Judd Tully, Harold Crooks (New York Premiere)
The Sound She Saw – Directed by Crystal Whaley (East Coast Premiere)
YOUNG CREATORS SHOWCASE
Ampe: Leap into the Sky, Black Girl – Directed by Claudia Owusu, Ife Oluwamuyide (East Coast Premiere)
are the oranges sweet?[橘子甜不甜?] – Directed by Bethany Yeap (World Premiere)
Attached – Directed by Xingyu “Harry” Chen (East Coast Premiere)
Chinatown: Our Only Home – Directed by Tony Wang
Bangin’ Basmati Butter Chicken – Directed by Gopal Bala (World Premiere)
En Avant – Directed by Sarah Jean Williams
Nikki – Directed by Martín Blanco (World Premiere)
Poachers – Directed by Tiffany Lin
The Spirit God Gave Us – Directed by Michael Donte (New York Premiere)
The Weather Inside Directed by Solomon Chang, Jonny Chang, Tiffany Ike (East Coast Premiere)
Where The Bird Goes – Directed by Troy Charbonnet (East Coast Premiere)
SHORT DOCS SHOWCASE
ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) – Directed by Brit Hensnel
After Skid Row – Directed by Lindsay Hagen
The Chemical Factory – Directed by Andrew Leung
Nasir – Directed by Nasir Bailey And Jackson Kroopfco
Nice to Meet You All – Directed by Guen Murroni
Washed Ashore – Directed by Ley Heimgartner and Cameron Nielsen
U.S. NARRATIVE SHORTS
…with salt. – Directed by Phyllis Toben Bancroft (East Coast Premiere)
100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu – Directed by Gbenga Komolafe
Ancestors – Directed by Darren Lorenzi Jr, Marcus Alan Ward (New York Premiere)
Carrion – Directed by Yvonne Zhang (World Premiere)
Catching Spirits – Directed by Vanessa Beletic (New York Premiere)
click, click, BOOM!– Directed by Tomson Tee (East Coast Premiere)
Clones – Directed by Letia Solomon (New York Premiere)
Currency – Directed by Lucretia Stinnette
de closin night – Directed by Shicong Zhu (New York Premiere)
Dear Mama… – Directed by Winter Dunn
Esperanza – Directed by Shruti Parekh (New York Premiere)
F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K – Directed by Harris Doran
Firecracker – Directed by Caroline Guo (New York Premiere)
Glitter Ain’t Gold – Directed by Christian Nolan Jones (New York Premiere)
Greyhound – Directed by Diante Singley (East Coast Premiere)
Hoar – Directed by Jeanette Dilone (East Coast Premiere)
I AM A MAN – Directed by Michael “Boogie” Pinckney
Pens & Pencils – Directed by Gia-Rayne Harris (East Coast Premiere)
Plan LMNOP – Directed by Halima Lucas (New York Premiere)
Rebecca – Directed by Carlton Daniel Jr. (New York Premiere)
Recovery Chain – Directed by Quamé A. Hamlin (World Premiere)
Regret To Inform You – Directed by Yusuf Nasir
Ro & the Stardust – Directed by Eunice Levis (New York Premiere)
Rootless/Sin Raíces – Directed by Gabriella Athena Moses (New York Premiere)
Shoebox – Directed by David Fortune
Sequin – Directed by Averi Israel
Still Life – Directed by Diana Ali Chire (New York Premiere)
The Bond – Directed by Jahmil Eady (New York Premiere)
The Code of Family – Directed by Kayla Sun (East Coast Premiere)
The Guitar Thief – Directed by Miguel Lepe, Jr. (New York Premiere)
The Vacation – Directed by Jarreau Carrillo (New York Premiere)
Trying – Directed by Alice Lee (New York Premiere)
Yokelan, 66 – Directed by TANG Yi (New York Premiere)
WORLD NARRATIVE SHORTS
Boys’ Things/Cosas de chicos (Spain) – Directed by Raquel Colera (U.S. Premiere)
Breeze in the Sea (China) – Directed by Jingtao Xu (World Premiere)
Diaspora (Canada) – Directed by Tyler Mckenzie Evans (U.S. Premiere)
Dress Up (United Kingdom) – Directed by Sara Chia-Jewell (New York Premiere)
Hiama (New Zealand) – Directed by Matasila Freshwater
Lamara (Uganda) – Directed by Bo Yoon Ha
Little Red Hood (China) – Directed by Ming Norma Wu, Jianyi Ian Lin (World Premiere)
No Ghost in the Morgue (Canada) – Directed by Marilyn Cooke (New York Premiere)
No Second Chances (United Kingdom) – Directed by Aaliyah Mckay (World Premiere)
The Moor/Il Moro (Italy) – Directed by Daphne Di Cinto (New York Premiere)
The Voice Actress (Japan) – Directed by Anna J. Takayama
Tsutsue (Ghana/France) – Directed by Amartei Armar (New York Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? Voices From A Plantation Prison – Directed by Cinque Northern
Behind These Walls – Directed by Allison Chernow, Karin Young Shiel, Sean Dino Johnson
Chante Manman Mwen (My Mother’s Song) – Directed by Fedna Jacquet (New York Premiere)
FOR LOVE AND LEGACY – Directed by A.K. Sandhu
Kaotic Drumline: Drumming With A Difference – Directed by Aaron Steinberg (New York Premiere)
Kylie – Directed by Master Sterling
Love Languages (United Kingdom) – Directed by Jason Osborne
Shut Up And Paint – Directed by Alex Mallis, Titus Kaphar
Still Here – Directed by Mariah G. Barrera (World Premiere)
The Cuban Way/Surfear A Lo Cubano (Colombia) – Directed by David Ospina (New York Premiere)
The Time Thief – Directed by Kyra Knox, Simone Holland
They Call Me Suki – Directed by M.G. Evangelista (East Coast Premiere)
We Dance – Directed by Brian Foster, Ethan Payne
ANIMATION SHORTS
New Moon – Directed by Jeremie Balais, Jeff LeBars, Raúl Domingo
The Absence of Memory (Singapore) – Directed by Brian Yulo Ng (East Coast Premiere)
Wolf and Cub – Directed by Marvin Bynoe
EXPERIMENTAL SIDEBAR
Flowers (United Kingdom) – Directed by Dumas Haddad
Heaven – Directed by Qun Chi (U.S. Premiere)
In the Wake of Mourning – Directed by Adetoro Makinde (New York Premiere)
Johnny Crow (Canada) – Directed by Jesse Gouchey, Xstine Cook (New York Premiere)
My Asian – Directed Jami Ramberan (East Coast Premiere)
Running Star – Directed by Sakinah Iman
ENVIRONMENT + SOCIAL IMPACT SIDEBAR
Aparecides (Chile) – Directed Yvan Iturriaga (U.S. Premiere)
August Sky (Brazil) – Directed Jasmin Tenucci
Generation Impact: The Scientist – Directed by Stephanie Wang-Breal (New York Premiere)
Mountain Dust (Mexico) – Directed Marlén Ríos-Farjat (U.S. Premiere)
WEB ORIGINALS SHOWCASE
Brownsville Bred – Directed by Elaine Del Valle, Created by Elaine Del Valle (East Coast Premiere)
Chiqui – Directed by Carlos Cardona, Created by Carlos Cardona (New York Premiere)
SEEHER: Multiplicity – Directed by Farah X
Send|Help – Directed by Stewart Yost, Created by Jean Elie & Mike Gauyo
(UN)CLAIMED – Directed by Carolyn Ratteray, Created by Carolyn Ratteray
SCREENPLAYS
11 Hours – Written by Vici Howard and Patrice Stanley
Adult Adolescent – Written by Persia White
Hyper/Space – Written by Moon Molson
They Got You – Written by Marlon Green