The enormous power of Oprah is undeniable. She owns her own network, appropriately titled OWN, and she is also owing the rights to big films at Sundance.

Deadline.com is reporting OWN bought the rights to the documentary Crime After Crime. The deal was allegedly six figures and OWN will make the film eligible for an Oscar. Crime After Crime is about a woman who was sentenced to 25 years in prison after fighting back at her abusive boyfriend. The Hollywood Reporter raved, “A tremendously moving story, strong in social commitment and deftly woven out of years of footage. Goldwyn and IFC were interested but OWN snatched it up.

OWN also acquired the rights to Becoming Chaz, a doc on Chaz Bono, Cher’s child who recently transitioned from male to female.

SOURCE 1, 2

The 14th Annual Urbanworld film festival opens tomorrow in New York City.  Presented by BET Networks, the legendary film festival highlights independent African-American filmmakers.  This year, Kerry Washington is the ambassador with her film, Night Catches Us, as the opening night film.  I Will Follow, directed by Ava DuVernay, is the closing night film.

Urbanworld is open to the public and I encourage everyone to support Black films by purchasing a ticket.  There are over 70 films to choose from — below are my recommendations.

* HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, a 1920s-era drama set in Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition (series premiere) from Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning writer of The Sopranos and Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese

* BET’s My Mic Sounds Nice, a documentary exploring the role of female rappers in hip-hop (directed by Ava DuVernay and featuring interviews by Missy Elliott, EVE, Trina, Rah Digga, MC Lyte, Yo Yo and more)

* One Night in Vegas, part of ESPN’s “30 for 30? documentary series, this film details the evening of 1996 when Tupac Shakur was shot (directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood; starring Mike Tyson)

* Kid Capri Presents: The Lionz Den, a short film about an underground rap battle in Harlem (directed by Kid Capri and Loaded Lux, starring Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and Rakim)

* Sus, a based-on-a-true-story drama centering on the controversial British “sus” laws and their inherent racism (directed by Robert Heath; starring Ralph Brown, Clint Dyer)

* Africa Rising, a documentary portraying the grassroots movement to end female genital mutilation (directed by Paula Heredia)

Click here for more info on Urbanworld.

The 14th annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks, is September 15th to September 19th in New York City.  This year a host of films will be presented like Mooz-lum (Nia Long, Evan Ross), The Inheritance (Golden Brooks, Darrin Dewitt Henson) and Night Catches Us, which stars Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie — a film I reviewed earlier this month at the New York Latino International Film Festival.  Washington has been named the festival ambassador.

Urbanworld will screen 71 films, including the world premiere of the closing night film, I Will Follow, which is written and directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Black Dynamite, Antwone Fisher).

Mark your calendars, all New Yorkers!  The festival is open to the public and festivals are where you get the first look at flicks that have the best writing, acting and passion — independent films require real sweat and tears.  Here is the complete festival roster:

Opening Night Selection:

• NIGHT CATCHES US directed by Tanya Hamilton

Closing Night Selection:

• I WILL FOLLOW directed by Ava DuVernay (World Premiere)

Narrative Feature Competition:

• BILAL’S STAND directed by Sultan Sharrief
• CALLBACK directed by Kartik Singh (World Premiere)
• EVERYDAY BLACK MAN directed by Carmen Madden
• GO FOR IT! directed by Carmen Marron
• KREWS directed by Hilbert Hakim
• MONEY MATTERS directed by Ryan Richmond
• MOOZ-LUM directed by Qasim Basir (World Premiere)
• SUS directed by Robert Heath
• THE INHERITANCE directed by Robert O’Hara

Documentary Feature Competition:

• BOUNCING CATS directed by Nabil Elderkin
• FINDING GOD IN THE CITY OF ANGELS directed by J. Jessum & S. Joseph (World Premiere)
• GROWN IN DETROIT: TEEN MOMS, URBAN FARMERS directed by M. & M. Poppenk
• NI WAKATI (IT’S TIME!) directed by Michael Wanguhu
• STREETBALL directed by Demetrius Wren

Documentary Short Competition:

• JR. POSSE directed by Michele Ervin
• KID CAPRI PRESENTS: THE LIONZ DEN directed by Loaded Lux and Kid Capri
• LAREDO, TEXAS directed by Topaz Adizes
• MANIFEST HOPE: DC directed by Alfred Gragg III (World Premiere)
• ONE OF THESE MORNINGS directed by Valery Lyman
• OUR PATH, OUR VOICE, OUR JOURNEY directed by Alex Munoz

Narrative Short Competition:

• 44 directed by Mikal Din (World Premiere)
• 3 FACES OF EVELYN directed by Kamali Minter
• CASTING NOTICE directed by Marcus Thomas
• CHAINS directed by Marcus Stokes (World Premiere)
• CLAP CLAP directed by Tanuj Chopra
• CLOSE directed by Tahir Jetter (World Premiere)
• CONGRATULATIONS MR. GONZALEZ! directed by Victor Cruz (World Premiere)
• COOKIE directed by Francisco Ordonez
• CUTS directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green
• EASY MADE HARD directed by Elizabeth Appell
• EMPIRE CORNER directed by J.P. Chan (World Premiere)
• GIMME GRACE directed by Anthony Onah
• GOOD INTENTIONS directed by Morocco Omari
• GORDITA directed by Debby Wolfe
• GRACE directed by Steven Mondesir (World Premiere)
• HARROW ISLAND directed by Anja Marquardt
• HEAR ME directed by Kenn Michael (World Premiere)
• KATRINA’S SON directed by Ya’Ke Smith
• KNOCK OFF directed by Rosanne Flynn
• MEN OR MICE directed by Kiara C Jones (World Premiere)
• MIRROR MIRROR directed by Tamika Guishard (World Premiere)
• MR. GRAHAM directed by Julius Amedume (World Premiere)
• PARAMOUR directed by Maba Ba (World Premiere)
• POSITIVE BUY directed by Hanley Valentin
• QUIETLY directed by Cole Wiley
• ROOS DJAJ (CHICKEN HEADS) directed by Bassam Jarbawi
• SAY GRACE BEFORE DROWNING directed by Nikyatu Jusu
• SILENT NIGHT directed by Red Carter
• TAGS directed by Dominique DeLeon
• THANK YOU FOR WASHING directed by Camille Brown
• THE CYCLE directed by Roy Clovis
• THE FORGIVEN directed by Lawrence Saint-Victor (World Premiere)
• THE REAL T directed by Ohene Cornelius (World Premiere)
• THE TROY SHAWN WELCOME STORY directed by Michael Pinckney (World Premiere)
• THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES directed by Shalako Gordon
• TRAIN directed by Darius Clark Monroe
• TYPES IN STEREO directed by Gemal Woods
• URBAN LULLABY directed by Sonia Gonzalez-Martinez (World Premiere)
• YELLOW directed by Tony Murphy (World Premiere)

While we were all enjoying the festivities of the 2010 BET Awards, there was another festival, Film Life’s 14th Annual American Black Film Festival in Miami.  Idris Elba hosted the event, which brought out Lee Daniels, Golden Brooks, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Chrisette Michele and more. Here are the winners:

Grand Jury Prize for Best Film: Legacy directed by Thomas Ikimi and starring IdrIs Elba

Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance by an Actor: Golden Brooks for The Inheritance

Career Achievement Award: Lee Daniels

BET’s Rising Icon Award: Chrisette Michele.

HBO Short Film Competition: Stag and Doe

HBO Star Project Winners: Emayatzy Corinealdi and Stephen Hill

SOURCE

The 17th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival starts this Friday, November 27th and runs till December 15th. The festival will present 101 diverse films from 45 countries and shown at six different locations in Manhattan.

Here are some highlights:

OPENING NIGHT – WOLE SOYINKA: CHILD OF THE FOREST by Akin Omotoso & NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH by John Kani
Fri, Nov 27 @ 8:00PM – Anthology Film Archives
Sponsored by ArtMattan Productions

A PAINTING JOURNEY
Sun, Nov. 29, ALL DAY – Thalia Cinema – Symphony Space
Sponsored by ArtMattan Productions and The Consulate General of Switzerland in New York

A NIGHT IN MARTINIQUE – FULL MOON AT VOLGA BEACH & THE 16 OF BASSE-POINTE
Sun, Nov. 29 @ 6:40PM – Anthology Film Archives
Sponsored by Martinique Bureau

CENTERPIECE – INSIDE BUFFALO by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu
Fri, Dec 4 @ 8:00PM – Cowin Center (Teachers College)
Sponsored by the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University

THE AFRICA CHANNEL GALA – THE SOUL OF ASHANTI by Kevin Merz & ARUGBA by Tunde Kelani
Wed, Dec. 9 @ 8:30PM – Anthology Film Archives
Sponsored by The Africa Channel

WOMEN INDIES NIGHT – THE LITTLE BLACK SCHOOL HOUSE & PORTIA WHITE, THINK ON ME by Sylvia D. Hamilton
Thu, Dec. 10 @ 8:30PM – Schomburg Center
Sponsored by NYWIFT (New York Women in Films and Television)

For tickets and more info call 212-864-1760 or go to www.NYADFF.org.

(New York, NY)—The 13th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks, today announced the winners for feature, documentary, short film, screenplay and audience award categories. The five-day festival was held September 23-27 in New York City; wrapping up on September 27 with a closing awards brunch to congratulate the competition’s winners. Urbanworld, which screened 68 films this year, is the largest internationally competitive festival dedicated to the exhibition of independent cinema by and about people of color.

The 13th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival winners are:

Best Narrative Feature Film

MISSISSIPPI DAMNED

Written & Directed By Tina Mabry; Produced By Morgan Stiff

Best Documentary Feature Film

STILL BILL

Written & Directed By Alex Vlack & Damani Baker; Produced By Alex Vlack, Damani Baker, Jon Fine, & Andrew Zuckerman

Documentary Feature Honorable Mention

THE VISITORS

Directed By Melis Birder

Best Documentary Short Film

A SONG FOR OURSELVES

Written & Directed By Tadashi Nakamura; Produced By Karen Ishizuka & Robert Nakamura

Best Narrative Short Film

THE ROE EFFECT

Written & Directed By Kiel Adrian Scott; Produced By Kiel Adrian Scott, Noelle K. Barnes, & Kiara Jones

Narrative Short Honorable Mention

LIFE ON EARTH

Written By Courtney Stephens; Directed By Jeffrey Keith, Produced By R. Kiplin Pastor

Best Screenplay

145th STREET

Written By Charles Burnett

Awarded $5,000 cash prize by HBO

Audience Award Winner

STILL BILL

Written & Directed By Alex Vlack & Damani Baker; Produced By Alex Vlack, Damani Baker, Jon Fine, & Andrew Zuckerman

Audience Award Honorable Mention

P-STAR RISING

Directed By Gabriel Noble; Produced By Marjan Tehrani

“On behalf of the Urbanworld Film Festival and our Presenting Sponsor BET Networks, I proudly congratulate the exceptional winners of the Festival’s 13th annual competition,” said Stacy Spikes, founder of Urbanworld. “As Urbanworld consistently recognizes and celebrates excellence in films by and about people of color, we are honored to present such a diverse slate of filmmakers and content, both represented in the overall festival and in the 2009 roster of winners.”

Highlights of the 13th annual Urbanworld Film Festival included a special closing night screening of “Good Hair,” directed by Jeff Stilson, produced by Nelson George and Chris Rock, and starring Chris Rock.

Bolstered by a three-year partnership with BET networks, Urbanworld is re-defining the competitive film festival landscape with its important and critical approach to exposing the voices of multicultural filmmakers.

ABOUT THE 2009 URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL:

Beginning this year, BET Networks has signed on for a three-year strategic partnership to present the Urbanworld Film Festival. The unique partnership, strengthened by BET’s position as the leading media and entertainment provider for African Americans and consumers of Black culture, will further establish the festival as one of the world’s largest competitive film festivals designed to redefine and enhance the roles of multicultural constituents in contemporary cinema.