Bythewoods to front Urbanworld's 30th festival as ambassadors
Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood will serve as ambassadors of the 30th annual Urbanworld Film Festival, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Oct. 5. The festival takes place Oct. 14-18 in New York City. That puts opening night nine days away.
As ambassadors, the pair will take part in special programme events at The New School, according to the same report. The title is a working role rather than an award. Such ambassador roles usually centre on introductions and public conversations with new film-makers and audiences.
Urbanworld will also stage a spotlight session for Gina Prince-Bythewood's adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone at Regal Union Square. An adaptation, in plain terms, is a film built from an existing book or other work. These spotlight events tend to combine clips with discussion, rather than a full screening. That screen version is set for release in cinemas on Jan. 15, 2027.
The invitation follows earlier appearances at the event. Prince-Bythewood brought The Secret Life of Bees to Urbanworld in 2008. Her film Beyond the Lights then opened the festival in 2014. The gap stretches from 2008 to this month, close to two decades.
Urbanworld was founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes. Its 30th edition is presented as the “Road to 30” and is listed for Oct. 14-18, 2026 on the festival’s website, Urbanworld. The site describes the festival and innovation summit as the signature initiative of Urbanworld Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation.
The anniversary also brings a technical shift. Urbanworld will accept AI-generated films for its 30th festival, Variety reported in June. It has launched UrbanworldAI with New York’s New School to support that section. That category covers work made with generative tools for image, sound or story. The festival describes itself as one of the largest internationally competitive festivals of its kind.
For fans, this means two entry points. New York audiences can catch the Bythewoods in person during the festival week. Everyone else gets an early look at the direction of Children of Blood and Bone months before its January launch. The January date places the film in the new-year corridor, after the year-end holidays.
