12th Urbanworld Film Festival 2008 Winners

The 12th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks, has announced the winners for feature, documentary, short film, screenplay and audience award categories. The five-day festival was held September 10-14 in New York City; wrapping up on September 14 with a closing awards brunch to congratulate the competition’s winners.

Urbanworld, which screened 85 films this year, is the largest internationally competitive festival dedicated to the exhibition of independent cinema by and about people of color.

The 12th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival winners are:

Best Narrative Feature Film
The Heart Specialist
Directed By Dennis Cooper, Produced By David Getachew Smith
Awarded $10,000 cash prize by Urbanworld Foundation, Inc.

Honorable Mention: Up With Me
Directed By Greg Takoudes, Produced By Christopher Roberts & Greg Takoudes

Best Documentary Feature Film
La Americana
Directed & Produced By Nicholas Bruckman
Awarded $10,000 cash prize by Urbanworld Foundation, Inc.

Best Documentary Short Film
El Play
Directed & Produced By Pablo Medina
Awarded $5,000 cash prize by Urbanworld Foundation, Inc.

Honorable Mention: Fresh Off The Boat
Directed By Mark Andersson & Katrina Lucas, Produced By Kristian Moliere

Best Narrative Short Film
A Day’s Work
Directed by Rajeev Dassani, Produced By Charles Uy
Awarded $5,000 cash prize by Urbanworld Foundation, Inc.

Best Screenplay
Meadowlandz
Written By Moon Molson
Awarded $5,000 cash prize by HBO

Best Director
Leon Lozano for Something Is Killing Tate
Special Feature Category Award Presented By Time Warner Cable

Audience Award Winner
This Is Not A Test
Directed & Produced By Christopher Angel
Awarded $10,000 cash prize by Urbanworld Foundation, Inc.

“On behalf of the Urbanworld Film Festival and our Presenting Sponsor BET Networks, I proudly congratulate the exceptional winners of the Festival’s 12th annual competition,” said Stacy Spikes, founder of Urbanworld. “As Urbanworld consistently recognizes and celebrates excellence in films by and about people of color, we are honored to present such a diverse slate of filmmakers and content, both represented in the overall festival and in the 2008 roster of winners.

Highlights of the 12th annual Urbanworld Film Festival included a special closing night screening of The Secret Life Of Bees, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Queen Latifah (the Festival’s Honorary Chair), Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, and Dakota Fanning, which tells a touching story about the need for love, family and redemption. The film follows 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) and her life on a honey farm with her caretaker Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) and the intelligent and independent honey-making Boatwright sisters (Latifah, Keys, & Okonedo).

Source: BET NETWORKS:

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