URBANWORLD TO HONOR F. GARY GRAY

The 13th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks, today announced the world premiere of “Mama, I Want To Sing!” as its closing night selection. The highly-anticipated musical starring R&B superstar Ciara and Emmy Award winner Lynn Whitfield will screen on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in the heart of Manhattan at the AMC Loews 34th Street.

Urbanworld will also present director F. Gary Gray with the festival’s Career Achievement Award in celebration of an outstanding body of work, including “Friday,” “Set It Off,” “The Negotiator”, “The Italian Job” and the previously announced 2009 opening night selection, “Law Abiding Citizen,” starring Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler and Viola Davis.

Additional select programming was also announced, including special screenings of ESPN Films’ “Without Bias” and HBO Latino’s “Celebrity Habla,” as well as an intimate conversation with independent film titan Bob Berney, hosted by Urbanworld festival founder Stacy Spikes.

The festival will also present the work of five Urbanworld Screenplay Competition finalists in live readings, with HBO sponsoring the Screenplay award category. Finalists include veteran filmmaker Charles Burnett’s “145th Street,” Olugbemiga Idowu’s “American Dream,” Dapo Adeshiyan’s “Far Away From Here,” Carmen Scott’s “Rome” and James Peoples’ “Winter.”