LARENZ TATE TO SERVE AS AMBASSADOR OF 17th ANNUAL URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL; ALICIA KEYS’ ‘THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE’ TO SCREEN ON CLOSING NIGHT
HBO® returns for 4th year as host of Urbanworld Digital NEW YORK, NY (Sept. 13, 2013) – The 17th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival (www.urbanworld.org) presented by BET Networks announced today that actor Larenz Tate – star of the BET original movie Gun Hill – will serve as festival ambassador and George Tillman’s The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete is the official Closing Night Film on September 21.
Known for iconic performances in Love Jones, Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, Tate will attend the Gun Hillscreening on Friday, September 20 at 8:00pm. Directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, the film centers around a pair of identical twins on opposite sides of life: Trane, a cop, and Bird, a con (both played by Tate). On one fateful night, Trane is killed. Bird assumes his identity and begins his own search for redemption “I’m honored to not only have my new BET project, ‘Gun Hill,’ premiering here, but to also be festival ambassador of this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival,” said Tate. “This festival is a celebration of multicultural art and its diverse and innovative contributors. I look forward to working with the Urbanworld team and enjoying some great films!”
Directed by Tillman and written by Michael Starrbury, the festival’s Closing Night Film The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete stars Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jordin Sparks, Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award winner Jeffrey Wright, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Anthony Mackie and Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner Jennifer Hudson. Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, and Bob Teitel produced the film with Alicia Keys, Susan Lewis, Clay Floren, Aimee Shieh, Julio Depietro, Keith Kjarval, Mary Vernieu, and Amy Nauiokas executive producing.
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete is a beautifully observed and tremendously moving film about salvation through friendship and the way transformation sometimes can happen just by holding on long enough. During a sweltering summer in New York City, 13-year-old Mister’s (Skylan Brooks) hard-living mother (Jennifer Hudson) is
apprehended by the police, leaving the boy and nine-year-old Pete (Ethan Dizon) alone to forage for food while dodging child protective services and the destructive scenarios of the Brooklyn projects. Faced with more than any child can be expected to bear, the resourceful Mister nevertheless feels he is an unstoppable force against seemingly unmovable obstacles. But what really keeps the pair in the survival game is much more Mister’s vulnerability than his larger-than-life attitude. Visitwww.MisterandPeteMovie.com for film information & updates. Follow the social conversation at#MisterAndPete
Urbanworld Founding Sponsor HBO® returns to host the 4th Annual Urbanworld Digital, a one-day digital track on September 18 at the HBO Theater (1100 6th Ave @ 42nd St, 15th floor) from 4pm – 9pm, featuring key industry influencers who will discuss topics including digital marketing, social media and distribution. “HBO is pleased to take part in the continuing discussions on the growing demand for personalized entertainment and its impact on how we interact,” said Dennis Williams, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, at HBO. “From connecting with viewers via a variety of digital platforms and social media outlets to cutting-edge promotions, this new environment offers a myriad of opportunities to become better communicators and removes many barriers traditionally faced by emerging filmmakers.” An expanded program overview is available at Urbanworld.org with advance online RSVP required. Session highlights include a series of panels, demos, fireside chats, and succinct digital download presentations, all with the focus of creating dialogue and connectivity around this evolving digital landscape. From industry authorities including HBO GO®, NBC Universal, and Interactive One, to emerging enterprises such as MoviePass and Revolt TV, leaders in the space will share their perspectives. This Urbanworld Digital Day will include the following:
A series of sound-bite moments (10-15 minutes in length) will be layered into the Digital Day and include:
Urbanworld is also proud to announce the official jurors for this year’s festival, award category sponsors and prizes, as well as the 2013 sponsors. NARRATIVE FEATURES JURORS
NARRATIVE SHORTS JURORS
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURORS
SCREENPLAY JURORS
TELEPLAY JURORS
FESTIVAL PRIZES
2013 URBANWORLD SPONSORS Presenting Sponsor
Founding Sponsor
Premiere Sponsor
Industry Circle
Media Partners
Promotional Partners
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Urbanworld takes place September 18-22, 2013 at midtown Manhattan’s AMC 34th Street. For the complete slate of films or ticket information, visit www.urbanworld.org. For media inquiries, emailpress@135stagency.com. ABOUT URBANWORLD The Urbanworld® Film Festival, founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, is the largest internationally competitive festival of its kind. The five-day festival includes narrative features, documentaries, and short films, as well as panel discussions, live staged screenplay readings, and the Urbanworld® Digital track focused on digital and social media. Over the last fifteen years, Hollywood studios, indie film distributors, and established and emerging filmmakers have consistently chosen Urbanworld® to premiere box office and award-winning hits. Urbanworld® has also provided a platform for some of today’s leading brands seeking to reach key influencers across the industry and within the consumer marketplace. The Urbanworld® Film Festival is an initiative of the Urbanworld® Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that endeavors to consistently manifest its mission of redefining and advancing the roles of multicultural constituents in contemporary filmed entertainment. By implementing initiatives that actively support and develop content creators of color, Urbanworld significantly contributes to the evolution of the media and entertainment landscape and the diversity that it reflects. Gabrielle Glore serves as Executive Producer & Head of Programming for the Urbanworld Film Festival. The festival website is www.urbanworld.org. ABOUT BET NETWORKS BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution. MEDIA CONTACTS Saptosa Foster The 135th Street Agency 404.909.6493 | saptosa@135stagency.com Shante Bacon The 135th Street Agency 917.553.0005 | shante@135stagency.com Terrece Walker BET Networks |
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