THE 8th ANNUAL URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS

NEW YORK CITY, NY (August 8, 2004) - The Urbanworld Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of the Film and Screenplay Competition at the 2004 Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City, NY (August 4-8). The announcement was made today by at a ceremony held at the Westin Hotel in New York City.

Presented by filmmaker Warrington Hudlin, the Documentary Feature Prize is awarded to Directors Sandra Dickson and Churchill L. Roberts for NEGROES WITH GUNS. NEGROES WITH GUNS is not only an incisive look at a truly fascinating man (Robert Williams) but also a thought-provoking examination of our notions of patriotism and the acceptable limits of dissent.

The Documentary Short Prize is awarded to Alex Rivera for THE SIXTH SECTION. The Sixth Section is a groundbreaking film that tells the true story of how immigrants in America are organizing across borders – and finding political and economic power in the places they leave behind.

Special Jury Prizes for Documentary Short Film were awarded to Jerry A. Henry for I PROMISED AFRICA and to Leslie Neale for JUVIES.

Presented by Elvis Mitchell, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film was awarded to Director David Hickson for BEAT THE DRUM, a drama about a young boy, while trying to help his sick grandmother, travels to Johannesburg with his father's last gift, a tribal drum, in search of work and his uncle.

Special Jury Prize for Feature Film was awarded to Director Eui-seok Kim for SWORD IN THE MOON.

Best Actress Award in a Feature Film was given to Shareen Anderson for ONE LOVE.

Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film is awarded to Director Dean Hargrove for TAP HEAT. TAP HEAT brings together two generations of tap dancers – a young man raised on urban funk, and an older sophisticated tap maestro. Told solely through the language of tap, TAP HEAT is a visually kinetic film short which culminates in an upbeat tap dance extravaganza.
Special Jury Prize for Best Short Film is awarded to Director Patricia Riggen for LA MILPA. In the film, Angela reminisces over her youth during the Mexican Revolution, a time when myths, sensuality, war and pain were everyday occurrences.
Best Actor in a Short Film was awarded to Morocco Omari for ANDRE ROYO’S BIG SCENE and Best Actress in a Short was awarded to Monica Mallet for SHOOTER.

Presented by Actress Tamara Tunie, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay is awarded S. Casper Wong for his original screenplay BABYFACE.

Special Jury Prize in the Screenplay category was awarded to Vernon Whitlock III for SUGAR ON THE FLOOR.
The Music Video Award was given to Director Randall Thorne for TIME TO CHANGE.

Presented by Andre Royo of HBO’s The Wire, the Audience Award for best film was awarded to Director Larry Golin for CROSS BRONX. The film follows four lifelong friends from Westchester who move into their first apartment together, in an inner-city Bronx neighborhood.

Urbanworld was launched in August 1997 with 35 films, by founder Stacy Spikes, a former Miramax executive. MTV is the 2004 Presenting Sponsor. HBO continues support as the Founding Sponsor. Spike TV and Tanqueray are Official Sponsors of the festival. Principal Sponsors include Maryland Film Office, The Hollywood Reporter and Westin New York. America Magazine is the official Media Sponsor. Benefactors include DGA New York, Kodak, Loews, Magic Johnson Theaters, Urban Beauty Collective and Tribeca Film Center.

For more information, visit www.urbanworld.org.