Check out La La Anthony, Jessica Pimentel & Rising Latino Talent in These 8 Movies at Urbanworld

Urbanworld, the largest competitive film festival designed to advance the presence and impact of diverse content creators, turns 20 this year. And before you try to wrap your head around the fact that institutional programs and festivals have been actively trying to redress “diversity” issues, rejoice instead in the eclectic roster of projects that will be playing in New York at the end of the month.

“In our 20th anniversary year, Urbanworld’s curated selections highlight content from around the world, enabling the festival to further expand the gaze on the many distinct voices that deserve to be heard,” said the festival’s director, Gabrielle Glore. “We are proud to be a welcoming home for filmmakers, film enthusiasts and industry partners, all of whom return to Urbanworld to celebrate the artistry and craft of filmmaking.”

As its centerpiece spotlight, for example, you’ll get to see Mexi-Kenyan Lupita Nyong’o in Queen of Katwe. The Disney-produced Mira Nair project tells the colorful tale of a young Ugandan girl who finds her life changed once she discovers chess. It’s but one of many stories that feature nary a white person; and of course, given the fest’s interest in intersectionality, there are lots of Latinos repping in plenty of homegrown projects. They run the gamut from documentaries about social inequality to sci-fi dramas about alternate realities. Find them all below in addition to one gender-bending short from Spain that looked too good to leave out.

Urbanworld runs in New York City from September 21-25, 2016.

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