This past weekend some of film & television’s biggest stars came out for the 2017 Urbanworld Film Festival and trust me as always its just gets better & better. The big event held in NYC at the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square was already off to a great start with the premiere of Tales on BET but that was clearly just a taste of what was to come. Friday fans, media , celebs & more came out to check out more films and the most interesting piece of the night was ‘Double Play’ which starred Louis Gossett Jr, LaLa Anthony , Lennie James , Colin Salmon ,Mustafa Shakir , Isaach De Bankolé , Alexander Karim , Saycon Sengbloh ,Melanie Liburd , Dani Dare & Bronson Pinchot. The Ernest Dickerson directed film set in Curacao followed the coming of age story of Dr. Ostrik Fiel’s as he returns to his childhood home which bring back the haunting memories of a life changing events which changed the lives of four men and two women due to love, loss and a deadly betrayal. This film was the perfect choice for a spotlight feature which left everyone in awe.

Now If that wasn’t enough Saturday the cast of OWN TV’s hit series ‘Queen Sugar’ packed out the AMC Theater as fans came out to see the mid-season 2 premiere of the Ava Duvernay show which follows the Bordelon family as they try to rebuild their lives after the passing of their father who left them his land which leads them to work out their differences and come together as they try to figure out their own drama which seems to never end. Some of the shows stars including Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner , Kofi Siriboe , Omar J. Dorsey & Ethan Hutchison came out for the special screening and Q&A panel which clearly was a winner with this years audience.

Actress Gabourey Sidibe stepped behind the lens as as director this year with the premiere of her short film ‘The Tale Of Four’ . The short inspired by Nina Simone’s song ‘Four Women’ was a powerful piece that showcased a real story of women connected by the inner city building that they live in, as they all deal with hardships on one fateful day which brings them together through acts of bravery. The film which starred Jussie Smollett , Dana Gourrier , Ledisi Young , Aisha Hinds , Phyllis Yvonne Stickney 8 Meagan Kimberly Smith is a must see that definitely left the audience speechless.

Closing out this years festival was the highly anticipated Reginald Hudlin directed film “Marshall”. The films stars Chadwick Boseman , Sterling K Brown , Kate Hudson & Josh Gad were all in attendance for the big event along with songbird Andra Day who sings the theme song for the film’s soundtrack. The movie based on Thurgood Marshall & Samuel Friedman case as they defend a black chauffeur against his employer during the civil rights movement was the perfect way to end this years festival. The movie received a standing ovation before the special Q&A kicked off and trust me this film is going straight to the Oscars with stellar performances from this cast . This year Urbanworld truly didn’t disappoint and exceeded everyone expectations as always. Check out pics & footage from the big weekend below and make sure you’re there next year as things will continue to get bigger and better.