Urbanworld Film Festival will mark its 30th anniversary this October with a new initiative called UrbanworldAI, created in partnership with The New School. The New York festival, founded in 1997 to champion BIPOC stories, is taking a notably different approach from many major film festivals by embracing artificial intelligence rather than excluding it. Urbanworld has long served as a launching point for filmmakers including Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, Nia DaCosta and Cord Jefferson, and this year it is expanding its mission to include AI-generated films, shorts, conversations and technology demonstrations.
The UrbanworldAI program will be divided into two tracks. One will focus on education, pairing filmmakers, students and creators with AI tools and practices so they can better understand the technology and how it may affect creative work. The second will be a showcase track, which will feature AI-generated films as part of the festival’s competition lineup. According to founder and CEO Stacy Spikes, the judging will not be based mainly on the technical complexity of the AI used, but on whether the stories create an emotional response and resonate with audiences. Spikes described this as a “goosebump” standard, emphasizing storytelling over novelty.
The showcase will include AI shorts under 30 minutes and feature-length films over 50 minutes, with winners eligible for prizes. Urbanworld, which runs from Oct. 14 to 18, will also add two new categories: Anime and Vertical. The Anime category will highlight a longstanding animation form, while Vertical will recognize the growing trend of creator-driven content made for mobile phones and social platforms.
Spikes said the goal is to meet resistance to AI with curiosity, comparing the current moment to earlier industry shifts such as digital filmmaking, the move from VHS to DVD, and the rise of streaming. He argued that AI is often treated too simplistically as a threat, when it could instead lower costs and make filmmaking more accessible to more people. He said that because film production is expensive, AI may open the door for creators who previously could not afford to make films at a high level.
Urbanworld’s decision is unusual among major festivals. Cannes has barred AI films from its official lineup, while Tribeca recently screened the AI-generated feature Dreams of Violets. Urbanworld’s move suggests a growing willingness in parts of the industry to confront AI’s influence directly, even amid deep concern from many artists and labor groups. Actors, writers and directors remain divided on the issue, and several Urbanworld alumni declined to comment. Still, Spikes said filmmakers should be informed about the tools shaping the future of the industry, warning that if American creators do not learn them, they risk falling behind peers in other global markets.
