The Urbanworld Film Festival has released its 2023 slate of films, and three Columbia filmmakers will be screening their short films at the New York City based festival.
Urbanworld is a five-day festival showcasing narrative and documentary features, short films, web originals, music videos, spotlight screenings and conversations, and live staged screenplay readings. The festival is in its 27th year, and will take place from November 1 to November 5 at AMC 34th Street and the SVA Theater in New York.
Founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, Urbanworld is one of the largest internationally competitive festivals of its kind. Since inception, Hollywood studios, indie film distributors, and established and emerging filmmakers have consistently chosen Urbanworld to premiere box office and award-winning hits.
Read more about the Columbia filmmakers screening work at this year's festival below:
Homing
Written and directed by Ricardo Varona '22 and produced by Munir Atalla '23.
Homing was made in deep collaboration with the pigeon breeding community in New York. Gentrification and city regulations have endangered the time honored craft of pigeon breeding, and the people that sustain it. Homing hopes to prove that the pigeon breeding community is an integral part of the cultural fabric of New York City and should be protected.
TikTok Challenged
Written and directed by Film student Ivan Rome and produced by Yoko Kohmoto ’22
Claretha, a soap opera-loving grandmother, has always dreamed of being a star, and she's finally got her chance; but she needs a little help from her grandson, Daryl, who didn't plan to spend the day teaching his grandma how to do a TikTok dance. Will they be able to successfully make a TikTok? Maybe. Will their TikTok go viral? Who knows! But, watching the two of them struggle through this challenge together is a fun ride filled with peach cobbler, Hollywood dreams, and a whole lot of funky dancing.
Children of Light
Written and directed by Film student Minkyu Yang ‘23 and produced by Bofan Wang ‘23.
In the 1960s, a Korean boy (16), kidnapped and assaulted at a juvenile center on a remote island, must escape with his rival to survive. Supported by a Katharina Otto-Bernstein ’92 (’86 CC) Production Grant, Children of Light has received numerous awards and recognition since its festival debut.
See a full festival lineup here.
