Urbanworld Unveils Its 2025 Winners Redefining Cinema and Culture While Announcing Its 30th Anniversary in New York City, November 4 - November 8, 2026

The 29th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival honored winners representing 16 countries including the United States, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, China, and several across the African continent. Moviegoers celebrated visionary voices and groundbreaking storytelling, setting the stage for a monumental 30th anniversary celebration next year in New York City.

L–R: LeToya Luckett, Ms. Tina Knowles, Brenda Gilbert, Urbanworld Founder Stacy Spikes, Emmai Alaquiva, Celines Estevez, Elvis Nolasco, Armani Gabriel, Andre Royo, and Jackie Quinones gather for a powerful moment celebrating storytelling, legacy, and community at the 2025 Urbanworld Film Festival
Photo Credit: Karen Spicer, @spicerstudios

NEW YORK, Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 29th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival ignited New York City with more than 9,000+ attendees over five days of cinematic brilliance and cultural celebration, honoring filmmakers whose work continues to push the boundaries of global storytelling. Founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, the Urbanworld Film Festival is the world’s largest multicultural competitive festival and an Academy Award®–qualifying festival. From October 29 to November 1, 2025, Urbanworld showcased more than 100+ films, reaffirming its position as one of the world’s most influential platforms for voices in film and media. “Urbanworld continues to be a beacon for storytellers who dare to dream differently,” said Stacy Spikes, Founder of Urbanworld Film Festival and Co-Founder of MoviePass.

A best-selling author (Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider) and one of USA Today’s 21 Most Influential Minorities in Tech, Spikes continues to expand his legacy of innovation through a new overall deal with Mogul, launching the Mogul Fantasy League a first-of-its-kind $100 million fantasy-entertainment platform that merges film, technology, and access to empower creators worldwide. “As we approach our 30th year, we’re not just reflecting on our history, we’re designing the future of storytelling globally.”

Urbanworld was honored to welcome Ms. Tina Knowles, Grammy Award Winner, LeToya Luckett, Actors Andre Royo, Elvis Nolasco, Maya Penn, Monique Coleman, Tobias Truvillion, Lisa Cunningham, Natalie Powell, Malik Yoba, Wesley Jonathan, and many more. This year’s festival presented 11 World Premieres, 40 New York City Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, 8 East Coast Premieres, and 28 Encores, which is a sweeping testament to Urbanworld’s legacy of discovery and innovation in storytelling.

The newly formed partnership with BLACK GIRLS ROCK! ®, founded by Beverly Bond, amplified its mission to celebrate art as activism and storytelling as empowerment, honoring women and creatives who use their platforms to shift culture and elevate community. Urbanworld included 41 outstanding selections from their 2024 slate, including Me Period and ASALI: The Power of the Pollinators. BLACK GIRLS ROCK!!® will embark on its 20th year as a transformative force, redefining how Black women are seen, celebrated, and supported across media, leadership, and the arts.

Special thanks to Emelyn Stuart from New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) for presenting this year’s NYWIFT Awards, recognizing excellence in filmmaking by women and non-binary creators. The 2025 NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Narrative Feature Film Directing was presented to Jackie Quinones for Miles Away, and the Award for Excellence in Documentary Feature Film Directing was presented to Lisa Cunningham for Me Period. Both recipients receive a one-year NYWIFT membership and an invitation to the annual Muse Awards on March 20th.

Listed below is the full slate of Urbanworld’s 2025 WINNERS, honoring visionaries and redefining the narrative in film:

2025 AUDIENCE AWARD Winner - Can You Stand the Rain - Eden Marryshow
2025 AUDIENCE AWARD (2nd Place) - Route 187 - Tyler Perry, Mark E. Swinton
2025 AUDIENCE AWARD (3rd Place) - The Ebony Canal: A Story on Black Infant Mortality - Emmai Alaquiva  

Best Screenplay Winner - Amerigirl - Samina Saifee
Best Screenplay Honorable Mention - Lucid Summer - Khaled Ridgeway & Noah Cooper

Best Narrative Experimental Winner - Ruya - Nicole Mairose Dizon
Best Narrative Experimental Honorable Mention - boju weyín – Bimpè Fageyinbo

Best Short Documentary (Young Creators) Winner - Handwoven – Dasha Levin, Mason Cazalet, Matthew Wisdom, Mihika Das
Best Short Documentary (Young Creator) Honorable Mention - Shirley Park – Mason Brown

Best Documentary Short Winner - The Hardest Working Man - Aaron Cassara
Best Documentary Short Honorable Mention - Interception: Jayne Kennedy American Sportscaster - Safiya Songhai

Best Documentary Feature Winner - Fatherless No More - Kayla Johnson
Best Documentary Feature Honorable Mention - Treasure of the Rice Terraces Kent Donguines

Best Episodic Winner - Route 187 - Tyler Perry & Mark E. Swinton Best Episodic Honorable Mention - Spar - Anthony Vander

Best Short Narrative (Young Creators) Winner - Glide: All the People I’ll Never Be - Li Anne Liew
Best Short Narrative (Young Creators) Honorable Mention - Ice Cream, Ice Queen - Jeremy Chi

Best Short Narrative Winner - Superman Doesn’t Steal - Tamika Lamison
Best Short Narrative Honorable Mention - A Beauty Supply in Queens – Princess Adenine

Best Narrative Feature Winner - No, Gracias, Ya No Fumo - Diego Toussaint Best Narrative Feature Honorable Mention - Miles Away - Jackie Quinones

*NEW AWARD CATEGORY* - Cultural Visionary Award
The newly introduced Cultural Visionary Award honors filmmakers whose work extends beyond the screen to drive social impact, awareness, and advocacy. This inaugural honor reflects Urbanworld’s ongoing commitment to celebrate storytellers who not only entertain but enlighten, transforming art into movement and culture into change. The recipient of the 2025 Cultural Visionary Award went to The Ebony Canal: A Story on Black Infant Mortality.

Director Emmai Alaquiva said, “We accept the Cultural Visionary Award with gratitude, and with renewed commitment to ensure that equity in maternal and infant care becomes more than an aspiration. Thank you to Stacy Spikes and Urbanworld family for amplifying this story. This is just the beginning.”

The Ebony Canal sold-out screening added an encore screening and held a highspirited, awe-inspiring talkback, moderated by Grammy Award Winner, LeToya Luckett. Panelists included the multi-hyphenate Ms. Tina Knowles, Emmai Alaquiva, Latham Thomas (Founder of Mama Glow), Kimberly Seals Allers (Founder of Irth App), Charles Johnson (Founder of 4Kira4Moms), Cori Murray (EVP, EBONY Magazine), and JUSNIK from 107.5 WBLS served as a redcarpet correspondent.

Urbanworld extends its deepest gratitude to its Founding, Prestige, Supporting, and Community Sponsors, whose partnership makes this mission possible.

Founding Sponsor: HBO
Prestige Partner: Warner Bros. Discovery
Supporting Sponsors: Mogul by MoviePass, Netflix, The New School Parsons, Directors Guild of America (DGA), Eventive, Writers Guild of America East, NYC Media & Entertainment, Black Girls Rock!
Community Partners: Brooklyn Arts Council, BRIC, MIFILM, MOCADA, Black Film Space, Cinema Tropical, NextFound Artist, Imagenation, NYWIFT (New York Women in Film & Television), Jill Newman Productions, BlackStar, XL Fest 25

Special thanks to Professor Neyda Martín, Associate Professor of Media and Culture Studies at The New School, and Professor Mark Walton, Chair of Media Management and Industry Studies at The New School, for leading the postconversation with our Spotlight Feature. Deep appreciation also to Sharon Counts, Director of University Partnerships at The New School, for coordinating sponsorship efforts and securing student participation that enriched this year’s festival experience.

As Urbanworld approaches its landmark 30th anniversary, it continues to evolve into a global nexus for creativity, connection, and collaboration. The Road to 30 will culminate in a year-long celebration uniting creators across film, technology, and culture through bold storytelling and international collaboration. Urbanworld 2026 will be held November 4 - November 8, 2026, in New York City. This milestone year will celebrate three decades of storytelling, creativity, and cultural power on a global stage. Urbanworld’s purpose is not just where stories are told, it’s where the future of storytelling is written.

ABOUT URBANWORLD
Founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, Co-Founder of MoviePass, the Urbanworld Film Festival is an Academy Award®–qualifying festival dedicated to empowering diverse storytellers across film, television, and digital media. For nearly three decades, Urbanworld has served as a launchpad for boundary-breaking films and creators who shape culture and conversation worldwide.

Official 2025 Urbanworld Official Photos https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JdsrQDFqetNs8qjhCAauBc1UiIPPcEqZ?
usp=drive_link

Media Contact(s):
For Urbanworld Film Festival:
Verona Jones, vj@urbanworld.org

For The Ebony Canal: A Story on Black Infant Mortality
Marcia Perry, marcia@perrymedia.com

For Black Girls Rock:
Thomasina Perkins, thomasina@capitolpublicrelations.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/80babf2c-b78b-483d-b158-0c8f3439e202

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