"Insecure" And "Shots Fired" Added To 20th Anniversary Urbanworld® Film Festival In New York

HBO's highly anticipated series "Insecure," created by Issa Rae ("The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl"), is a comedy starring Rae, Yvonne Orji ("Love That Girl"), Jay Ellis ("The Game") and Lisa Joyce ("The Following"), that looks at the friendship of two black women, their uncomfortable experiences and racy tribulations.  Melina Matsoukas (Beyonce's "Formation") directed the episode of the series that will be screened at Urbanworld on Friday, September 23, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.  A Q&A with Rae, Ellis and Matsoukas, which will be moderated by Bevy Smith, will immediately follow.

Examining the dangerous aftermath of two racially charged shootings in a small Southern town, Fox's "Shots Fired," starring Sanaa Lathan (Best Man Holiday) and Stephan James (Selma), is a dramatic new event series that is a "why done it?" and a "who done it?" From creators and executive producers Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) and Reggie Rock Bythewood ("New York Undercover"), "Shots Fired" is an explosive look at the criminal justice system.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the showrunners and stars including Lathan, James, Tristan Mack Wilds (The Secret Life of Bees), Prince-Bythewood and Bythewood on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.  Academy Award® winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) will moderate the panel.

Also confirmed to attend the 2016 events are festival ambassadors Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo as well as actors Cory Hardict, Aisha Hinds, DeWanda Wise and LaLa Anthony.  Tickets and passes are available now at www.urbanworld.org/films.

Urbanworld Digital, presented by HBO since 2010, will return to highlight industry experts sharing their insights on the evolving landscape of content creation, financing, distribution and marketing, all through the lens of digital opportunity.  This year, Urbanworld Digital's series of conversations and industry networking reception will begin on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at the HBO Theater on 1100 6^th Avenue.  The highlights include a conversation with HBO Chairman & CEO Richard Plepler and entertainment entrepreneur Russell Simmons, as well as a session featuring legendary DJ and audio engineer Young Guru introducing his new production company, Era of the Engineer Films, and its respective partnerships with Warner Bros. Films and Time Warner Inc.'s 150 Incubator.  Festival filmmakers, digital influencers, executives, entrepreneurs and content creators attend annually. "HBO is thrilled to host the 6th annual Urbanworld Digital, which embodies the ever-changing digital landscape's impact on how we interact, communicate and consume entertainment. This medium of viewing further elevates the power of multicultural storytellers who skillfully use various digital platforms and social media outlets," said Dennis Williams, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, HBO.  Guests may RSVP on Urbanworld's official website on September 7, 2016.

At Time Warner on Friday, September 23, 2016 at 3:30 p.m., Overstand, the premiere consultancy for advising diverse storytellers and financial partners, will launch The Stand, an intimate consultative financing event at Urbanworld.  The company has vetted and selected two creative projects and their respective teams to pitch their projects to a curated roundtable of industry experts and investors. Through this opportunity, investors and filmmakers benefit from introductory connections, relationship building and knowledge share.  This year's inaugural event will highlight scripted project D-Days (directed by Tamika Guishard and produced by Julius Pryor and Marttise Hill), interactive project The Art of Dying Young (directed by Shawn Peters and produced by Barry Cole) and a reception hosted by Ghetto Film School's program The Roster.  "Overstand is honored to partner with best in class creative leaders like Urbanworld and Ghetto Film School to launch a new system for diverse storytellers to connect with investors.  This is the time to lift up excellent storytellers and diverse stories to engage audiences in new ways," said Sharese Bulock-Bailey, Founder, Overstand.

Also to celebrate the 20th anniversary, Urbanworld has collaborated with genius visual artist and storyteller, Shantell Martin (www.urbanworld.org/shantell-martin), on an exclusive work of art encompassing the essence of the festival. "We are so proud to partner with Shantell Martin around this milestone year for the festival," said Gabrielle Glore, Festival Director & Head of Programming, Urbanworld.  "Shantell's vision and innovation around storytelling perfectly represent Urbanworld's desire to convey the blurred lines of creativity and artistic expression that prevail in our world."  Shantell's unique work and wisdom will be highlighted across the festival in various ways, including her participation in a community event at BRIC in Brooklyn on Sunday, September 25, 2016.

REVOLT is the presenting partner of the 2016 Urbanworld Film Festival.  Along with founding partner HBO, key supporters include prestige partner BET Networks, premiere partners Comcast NBCUniversal, Africa Creative Agency, Fox Audience Strategy and Time Warner.  Industry partner supporters are AMC Independent, Directors Guild of America, MoviePass, Urban Movie Channel and Writers Guild of America East. Essence, The Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment / Made in NY, Power 105.1, Village Voice, Amsterdam News, Uptown Magazine and WNYC are the media partners for Urbanworld.

For additional announcements later this month, go to www.urbanworld.org.  Follow @UWFilmFest and use #UW20 to join the conversation about Urbanworld on social media.

ABOUT URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL
Urbanworld Film Festival was launched in August 1997 by founder Stacy Spikes, a former executive at Miramax and October Films.  With estimated attendance reaching over 15,000, the five-day festival includes the anchor film component with narrative features, documentaries, short films, spotlight screenings and live staged screenplay readings; the Urbanworld Digital track focused on digital panels and workshops; and Urbanworld Music franchise, which highlights emerging talent in live performances during festival events. Over the last 19 years, Hollywood studios, indie film distributors and established and emerging filmmakers have consistently chosen Urbanworld to premiere box office and award-winning hits. The Urbanworld Film Festival is an initiative of the Urbanworld Foundation Inc.  Gabrielle Glore serves as Festival Director & Head of Programming. The organization's website is www.urbanworld.org. 

ABOUT REVOLT TV
REVOLT is the #1 name in music. Focused on expertly curating the best of the best in music and engaging youth in social conversation, the multi-genre, multi-platform network offers breaking music news, videos, artist interviews, exclusive performances, and original programming. Attracting over 50 million young adults through television, digital properties, social and mobile, REVOLT is accessible 24/7 – anytime, anywhere, any screen and is available nationally on DIRECTV, AT&T U-verse TV, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Verizon FiOS, CenturyLink Prism TV and Suddenlink, as well as OTT platforms fuboTV, KlowdTV, and FilmOn. REVOLT is also available internationally in the Bahamas on Cable Bahamas, the Cayman Islands on Westel, in Jamaica on Digicel, and in Trinidad on Digicel and Massy Communications. For more information, visit https://revolt.tv.

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http://www.urbanworld.org