Presented by BET Networks with founding sponsor HBO, UrbanWorld Film Festival hit New York City with the hottest and newest film makers, actors, and actresses in the industry like a quiet storm Wednesday night in Time Square. Those who hit the Red Carpet Event to kick off the Opening Night of UrbanWorld Film Festival and the Opening Night Premiere of “Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ” included UrbanWorld Film Festival Tyrese Gibson whose short film “Shame” is slated to debut during the film festival.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. better known by his stage names T.I. and Tip, is an American hip hop recording artist, philanthropist and actor who recently appeared in Ant-Man as the character “Dave.” Ant Man is a 2015 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name.
Photography Credit: Fred Sly
While on the Red Carpet I had an opportunity to talk to Jaleel White a guy who needs no introduction…but just in case you do….Jaleel White is known for his character Steve Urkel in the hit television show Family Matters. Now all grown up, Jaleel White talks about his career as an actor, writer, soon to be a producer, and how Muhammad Ali has inspired him by paving the path for others.
While Jaleel White and I talked about his aspiration and inspiration, another guy who doesn’t need any introduction, rapper, record producer, poet, occasional actor and activist David Banner and I, discussed health topics, his daily practice of respecting his body, how meditation fits into his daily regime, and how Muhammad Ali inspired him to be the best in everything he does.
UrbanWorld Film Festival 2015
Photography Credit: Fred Sly
The UrbanWorld Film Festival runs from September 23-26, 2015. To learn more about UrbanWorld Film Festival and for the complete slate of films, film synopsis, ticket information, complete list of sponsors and the most up to date full daily schedule of films and events for the nation’s largest competitive multicultural film festival visit www.urbanworld.org and @UWFilmFest on Twitter.
ABOUT URBANWORLD® FILM FESTIVAL 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, short films, spotlight screenings, events, live staged screenplay readings, the Urbanworld®Digital track focused on digital and social media panels and workshops and Urbanworld Music, which highlights emerging talent in live performances during after party 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. 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 presence and impact of the multicultural community in cinema and cross-platform media. 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 Festival Director for the Urbanworld Film Festival. The festival website www.urbanworld.org.
ABOUT BET NETWORKS BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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, the first network dedicated to Black women; 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.