Urbanworld adds UrbanworldAI section as Writers Guild pulls support

In short: Urbanworld Film Festival in New York is adding a new UrbanworldAI program, and the Writers Guild of America has withdrawn its sponsorship and participation in response.

What happened

Urbanworld Film Festival, which focuses on films by BIPOC creators, is marking its 30th anniversary this October with a new section called UrbanworldAI. The festival says this section will spotlight films and short projects that were made with AI tools or partly generated by them.

UrbanworldAI has two tracks. One is educational, with talks and demos that show filmmakers and students how these tools work. The other is a showcase, with shorts under 30 minutes and feature films over 50 minutes that can compete for awards.

Festival founder Stacy Spikes said the judging will focus on story and emotion, not on how advanced the technology is. He described it as a “goosebump” test, meaning the film should still move the audience. Urbanworld is also adding new Anime and Vertical categories, including vertical video made to be watched on a phone.

The Writers Guild of America, a union that represents many professional screenwriters, had been a sponsor and participant at Urbanworld in past years. According to reporting reviewed by The New York Times, the guild notified the festival that it is withdrawing support this year because of the decision to include AI-linked films.

Why it matters

This dispute shows how divided the film industry is about generative AI (tools that can create text, images, or video from a prompt, like a very fast but unpredictable helper). Urbanworld is choosing to label and group AI-involved projects, while the writers’ union is pushing for stricter rules about consent, pay, and who owns the work.

Source: NYTimes