Returning for its 19th edition beginning this Wednesday, September 23 and continuing through Sunday, September 27, NYC’s Urbanworld Film Festival will once again provide a platform for the films of African American and multicultural filmmakers. This year’s edition shows an uptick in the number of documentaries among its offerings – nearly half at twelve of 28 features, including both its opening and closing night slots: Respectively, Clarence “Coodie” Simmons & Chike Ozah’s MUHAMMAD ALI: THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP, which highlight’s the boxing legend’s legacy; and Nelson George’s A BALLERINA’S TALE, about African Americans in ballet, as revealed through the story of Misty Copeland.
Among the other nonfiction presentations this year are: Nick Quested’s DRAMATIC ESCAPE, about a prison’s theatrical production/rehabilitation program; Dean Hargrove’s TAP WORLD (pictured), a survey of the American dance form; Flora Pérez-Garay’s ANATOMY OF A DRESS, a look at Puetro Rican fashion designers; Mathew Ramirez Warren’s WE LIKE IT LIKE THAT, which explores the NYC roots of Latin boogaloo; and Bobbito Garcia’s STRETCH AND BOBBITO: RADIO THAT CHANGED LIVES, about the legendary hip hop radio program.
what (not) to doc 