Urban Film Festival Sets Dreams In Motion

Samuel Lee Fudge stars as Marcus Garvey in “Mosiah.” Directed by Jirard, the first narrative film about Garvey’s life will be screened during the Urban Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Mosiah Film)

It was easy to dismiss someone like Kionne McGhee.

Once labeled “dyslexic,” “emotionally disturbed” and “borderline mentally retarded” it’s clear  that he’s come a long way.

He was raised in the Naranja Projects in South Miami, where he was one of six siblings who relied on their mother’s love, government assistance and any profits she eked out from the fields harvesting beans.

Host of Urban Film Festival Athule Mbekeni, Giovanni Moss – Road Ready Tv Show Executive Producer, and Founder of Urban Film Festival and Film Producer Marco Molinet. (Photo courtesy of Urban Film Festival )

His father, however, wasn’t in the picture. Though not uncommon, missing male role models in his community proved to be devastating.

“During those times fathers were forced to make decisions, especially in housing projects, because they were not allowed to be shown on the lease in public housing,” says McGhee.

The absence made him feel ill equipped to fend off taunts by cruel peers and he lacked the support needed to navigate hostile attitudes and labels bestowed by torpid school officials.

Filled with frustration, it’s no wonder he answered the call of the streets. There  he battled his demons to escape from the anger and the pain. But even at his lowest points,  there was one person who remained firmly in his corner.

Romeo Miller and Urban Film Festival students. Miller is the producer of “The Reject” the true-life story about Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee.
(Photo courtesy of Urban Film Festival )

For when his mother wasn’t bending over picking beans she was on her knees in prayer,

She never gave up.

She  knew that he could do better than this.

And she knew that God had different plans.

Turns out she was right.

Today, McGhee is not only  a husband and a father, he is an accomplished attorney and author who currently serves as Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 9.

In 2012, he was also elected to the Florida House of Representatives and served as the Minority Leader from 2018 to 2020.

His accomplishments and his triumphant rise to success has recently been captured on film and will be screened during the world premiere of “The Reject.”

The true life story directed by Bla G & Yonel Aris will be shown at 8 p.m on  Saturday, Aug. 31 at the.Lyric Theater as part of the 9th annual Urban Film Festival.

The free event, held over Labor Day weekend from Friday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Sept.1 in Overtown, celebrates the craft of urban filmmaking through education, networking and distribution opportunities.

Marco Molinet, co-founder of  the Florida Film House which hosts the event, says that the festival is something that filmmakers don’t want to miss.

“We’re screening over 150 films,” says Molinet.

“We are doing five master classes, five meet and greets. We’re doing six or seven panels. We also have a media center where we’re doing non-stop interviewing with different media outlets. And then we have the awards ceremony and our Welcome to Miami (at Red Rooster) Party and a celebration of our 1st Take Youth Film Program.”

Romeo Miller, Actress Iyanna Halley with fans at the 1st Take Film Youth Empowerment at the Urban Film Festival. The program provides hands-on training, education and leadership skills for those who are interested in cinema.
(Photo courtesy of Urban Film Festival )

The celebration is particularly poignant this year given the role of  Kamal Ani-Bello, a former 1st Take Youth Film Program student himself, who stars as McGhee in the film.  The program provides hands-on training, education and leadership skills for those who are interested in cinema.

Molinet is astounded how Ani-Bello’s participation as a student has come full circle.

“(Kamal) was given a trophy by Romeo Miller on stage at the Urban Film Festival about four or five years ago,” recalls Molinet,  “And at that time, he told Romeo, ‘I’m going to work with you one day.’ Romeo said,. ‘Let’s do it.’ And now they’re working side by side, less than five years later.”

Ani-Bello, who is also screening his first short film “Pound Cake,” at the festival. is awestruck at how far he has come. He was 15 and in the ninth grade when he first got involved in the program.

“I think it’s every actor’s dream,” says Ani-Bello.

“I feel blessed. I’m grateful. I’m scared. I’m happy, excited and everything in between,” he laughs. “I think it’s truly a testament that anything is possible”.

Molinet agrees.

One of the reasons he hosts the festival is to urge filmmakers to hold onto what they want to achieve.

He remembers how his own  film festivals submissions were all rejected and how that propelled him to launch his own platform for urban filmmakers.

Good thing he did as it was a rousing success, right from the very beginning.

“We didn’t get into a film festival that comes here in June and then I launched my Film Festival in September that same year and it was sold out.”

And this is why Molinet urges filmmakers to hold strong and keep going even in the face of adversity.

“Imagine if you’re a kid or a young and up and coming filmmaker but your mom is telling you to go to medical school. “Art don’t make no money’ she’ll say. And then you graduate, make a movie, and then you scrape all your money together and spend thousands of dollars to submit it and enter all the film festivals and you don’t get in none. The dream is dead. Your mom was right.”

“Mosiah, the first narrative film about Marcus Garvey, will be screened at the Urban Film Festival on Saturday, August 31, at 4:30 p.m., at the Overtown Performing Arts Center, 1074 NW 3rd Ave, Miami.
(Photo courtesy of Mosiah Film)

Or was she?

Molinet demonstrates that with platforms like the Urban Film Festival, you can gently tell your mom that your aspirations are from over.

He  says he knows he is right when he hears how much of an impact his festival has made on others.

“I’ve watched these filmmakers get better and better every year, and a lot of the filmmakers, they’ll come and they say, Marco, your film festival is the only film festival I got into, And it has kept me going,’

WHAT:   The Urban Film Festival

WHERE:  Various locations, “The Reject” will be screened at 8 p,m, on Saturday, Aug. 31 at The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater: 819 NW 2nd Ave, Miami. Virtual screening of films are also available at uds.tv

WHEN:  Friday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 1

COST:  Free

INFORMATION: For full schedule and programming visit urbanfilmfestivals.com

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.