The UBRTF Fest Details:
Strategy+Execution=Equity

KOTF TeleRadio Network Inc. is proud to announce the second annual UrbanFire Binge Radio TV & Film Festival (The UBRTF Fest) in the city of Fort Worth, Texas. The festival/ conference is a partnership between KOTF TeleRadio Network Inc’s flagship offering named The UrbanFire BingeTV & Movie Network (The UBN) and The UBRTF Fest in association with the University of HerEmAkhet (The U of H) along with several HBCUs across the country. This partnership effectively creates the opportunity for the creative and business communities to create engaging audiovisual experiences together in the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, The UK, and Jamaica with the assurance of paid publishing via the direct pathway to The UBN’s live broadcast timelines, on-demand delivery portals, and Pay2SEE (pay-per-view) media lineup. Along with the conference programming, artist performances, networking mixer, and awards ceremony, we have created a special place in all of this for our sponsor and vendor partners.

• The strategy is simple—stop fighting a beast we could never defeat in our lifetime and
• begin creating vertically integrated entities that live outside of but run adjacent to the mainstream industry that executes plans designed to exclude the problem of racism from the production and release processes
• thereby making equity the order of the day.

Sounds like wishful thinking? Meet The UBRTF Fest, The UBN, and The University of HerEmAkhet (The U of H)! We are The Team. According to McKinsey & Company, the racial disparities directly related to so-called White and Black people in the United States of America, especially in the media industry, are worse than anyone could have imagined. It is past overdue for our group to take responsibility for our community by bringing together the key personalities in the Black community to first and foremost inform ourselves about the position we are in currently, and then lay out the plan to change what our children are seeing about themselves in the media at the same time that we position Black-owned businesses to attach themselves to our own media experiences to become more visible and recognizable in the market and therefore scale into employment providers as opposed to sole proprietors. The Black community is poised to exemplify vertical integration at its best and The Team is positioned—right now—to facilitate the process.

The U of H is the official education center of The UBN which offers The UBN Audiovisual Producer Certification course. This course has tuition scholarship opportunities where students will learn music, radio, television, and movie production with specific hardware and software tools that come in the Student’s Toolkit. These tools teach them the caliber of tools they should be working with for effective business practices and consistent quality storytelling, and so we offer The MoPower Exchange—an exhibit hall to demonstrate the latest tech for an expected cadre of 700+ potential brand-loyal production partners. The U of H is directly plugged into The UBN so that graduates immediately transition from scholars to paid content producers in one day.

Barriers that undermine equity in content development, financing, marketing, and distribution come at a substantial cost to the film and TV industry and the American economy. The persistent racial wealth gap in the United States is a burden on Black Americans as well as the overall economy. We will look at the new research that quantifies the impact of closing the gap and identifies key sources of this socioeconomic inequity. Closing racial gaps across the economy is not only about righting historic wrongs. It is also about choosing a more dynamic future and realizing the full potential of a massively underutilized source of talent to the benefit of all Americans. There is a dual opportunity to add revenue for companies and growth for the economy while addressing important gaps in neglected communities and creating value for consumers. Please join us in our mission to address the barriers that Black talent in the radio, television, and film industry faces, the economic fallout, and solutions for creating a more inclusive, equitable workplace in the radio, television, and film industry.

The UrbanFire Binge Radio Television & Film Festival Guarantee

The UrbanFire Binge Radio Television & Film Festival guarantees that your content will be screened and scored according to our screening and scoring system which is the maximum level of consideration your media can receive in return for your submission fees. Our intent is to publish your media on our free and premium publishing platforms successfully wrapped with ads and, in some cases, product/ service immersed from participating businesses. Our objective is to screen you in not screen you out. In the unfortunate case that your content doesn’t succeed, we will give you back comments on your submission so you can see why your content didn’t succeed. Those comments can be used as advice on how to make your content more suitable for our free and premium platforms.

So here’s exactly why you’re paying submission fees. Let’s say you head in to go to work at your job and your employer issues a company-wide communication saying no one will be paid for the time they spend doing the work they are employed to do. What would you tell your employer? EXACTLY… Our pricing is affordable but enough to encourage people to only submit their best work. We guarantee that your submission fee goes to administrative costs down the line to screening time spent scoring your media. If we are to trigger the circulation of our dollars, you cannot point us in the direction of a more feasible, affordable, and active way than what is before you right now with this opportunity. Paying each other for what we want and need is indeed the only way to trigger the circulation of our dollars.

In the interest of fairness, we cannot waive entry fees. It’s important to us that the same rules and entry fees apply to all applicants so no one piece of content is favored over another.

Larry “Siyf” Smiley El
KOTF TeleRadio Network Inc Founder
The UrbanFire Radio Television & Film Festival Founder/ Co-Organizer

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS

Grand Jury Awards
—Best Narrative Feature
—Best Actor
—Best Director
—Best Screenplay
—Best Original Documentary

Best Original KOTF Short Film
Best Original TV Show
Best Web Original
The Movitech™ Original
Best Original Music
Best Original Music Video
Pulse of the Movement

Rules & Terms

The UBRTF Fest Official Rules
Narrative Features
Films that tell a fictional story, event, or narrative.
Submissions Criteria:
• 72 minutes minimum run time
• Writer, director, or producer must be a person of African descent, and the film content must have at least a multicultural perspective.
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Competition is open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Films must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
• Films must have commenced principal photography on or after 31 October 2021.
• While it is our preference to exhibit films in this competitive section that are world premieres, Narrative Features that have previously screened at up to two (2) other festivals are eligible for this section.
• Films that have been broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet, or released via any other public distribution platform (theatrical, Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to June 22, 2018, are not eligible for this category.
Award Eligibility:
Grand Jury Award–Best Narrative Feature
Grand Jury Award–Best Director, Narrative Feature
Audience Award–Best Narrative Feature
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $25.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $50.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $75.00USD

Documentary
Nonfictional films intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education, or creating and maintaining a historical record.
Submissions Criteria:
• 44 minutes minimum run time
• Writer, director, or producer must be a person of African descent.
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Competition is open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Films must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
• Films must have commenced principal photography on or after 31 October 2021.
• While it is our preference to exhibit films in this section that are world premieres, Documentaries that have previously screened at up to two (3) other festivals are eligible for this section.
• Films that have been, or will be, broadcast or streamed on television or the
Internet, or released via any other public distribution platform (theatrical, Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to June 22, 2018, are not eligible for this category.

Award Eligibility:
Grand Jury Award–Best Documentary
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $25.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $50.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $75.00USD

KOTF Short Film Shootout
Submissions Criteria:
• 22 minutes maximum run time inclusive of credits.
• Films must have been directed and/or written by a person of African descent
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Competition is open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Films must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
• Films must have commenced principal photography on or after 31 October 2021.
• Films must not have had any previous exhibition on broadcast or cable (by means of any method or medium) or online.
• Films submitted to the KOTF Short Film Shootout for the 2018 UrbanFire Radio Television & Film Festival must not have been previously exhibited on or licensed for exhibition on, any form of television (i.e., free TV, basic or pay cable, pay-per-view, and/or subscription programming services) and, prior to the scheduled URTF screening date within June 22-24, 2018.
• Each entry must be submitted via FilmFreeway, where you must complete your submission no later than the posted deadlines.
Award Eligibility:
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $25.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $50.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $75.00USD

TV Show Originals
Narrative or documentary episodic series
Submissions Criteria:
• 22 minutes firm per episode for a 30-minute show; 44 minutes firm per episode for a 60-minute show. These run times are firm (show should be exactly the minutes required—no under-or-over runs)
• Writer, director, or producer must be a person of African descent.
• Entrants must submit two (2) episodes of the series, not to exceed run times inclusive of credits
• Episodes should be uploaded as one continuous video file, with a 2-second break and new opening title card separating the episodes.
• If submitted content is a continuation of an existing series that has previously been made available to the public via any platform (broadcast television, Bluray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) prior to June 22, 2018, only new unreleased episodes are eligible for submission.
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Competition is open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Series must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
Award Eligibility:
Audience Award–Best TV Show Original
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $25.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $50.00USD
Late Submissions: June 18—20, 2018 $75.00USD

Web Series Originals
Short form narrative or documentary episodic series
Submissions Criteria:
• 11 minutes maximum run time per episode
• Writer, director, or producer must be a person of Moorish descent.
• Entrants must submit two (2) episodes of the series, not to exceed 22 minutes of run time inclusive of credits
• Episodes should be uploaded as one continuous video file, with a 2-second break and new opening title card separating the episodes.
• If submitted content is a continuation of an existing series that has previously been made available to the public via any platform (broadcast television, Bluray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) prior to June 22, 2018, only new unreleased episodes are eligible for submission.
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Competition is open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Series must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
Award Eligibility:
Audience Award–Best Web Original
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $20.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $35.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $60.00USD


UrbanFire Movitech™ Originals
This section is designed to showcase content shot on mobile video technologies, including smartphones, tablets, and live-action equipment (i.e. Mevo, GoPro, UAVs, etc.). Driven by a bold, innovative approach and experimentation, these projects bring the most unique and original stories to the table. Narrative, nonfiction, music videos, and experimental projects are accepted in this section.
Submissions Criteria:
• 44 minutes maximum run time
• Writer, director, or producer must be a person of African descent.
• Projects must be shot on a smartphone, tablet, or sports live-action device.
• Must be tagged “An UrbanFire Movitech™ Original” on the opening title card.
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Competition is open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
Award Eligibility:
Best UrbanFire Movitech™ Originals Award
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $25.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $40.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $65.00USD

Original Radio-Ready Music
Music in the genres that African-Americans love.
Submissions Criteria:
• 4 minutes maximum run time per song
• Writer, artist(s), or producer must be a person of Moorish descent
• Music should reflect the times
• If submitted content has previously been made available to the public via any platform (broadcast radio/ television, Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, MOD, etc.) prior to June 22, 2018, only new unreleased music is eligible for submission.
• Entrants can be of any age.
• Submissions are open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Music must be in the English language.
Award Eligibility:
Audience Award–Best Web Original
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $10.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $25.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $40.00USD

CombustionTV Music Videos
Music in the genres that African-Americans love. This content is specifically for the KOTF UrbanFire—sponsored TV show named CombustionTV.
Submissions Criteria:
• 8 minutes maximum run time per video
• Writer, artist(s), or producer must be a person of Moorish descent
• Content should reflect the times
• If submitted content has previously been made available to the public via any platform (broadcast television, Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, MOD, etc.) prior to June 22, 2018, only new unreleased content is eligible for submission unless a release for further publication on the KOTF TeleRadio Network is made available in writing.
• Entrants can be of any age.
• Submissions are open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Content must be in the English language or have English subtitles.
Award Eligibility:
Audience Award–Best Web Original
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $20.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $25.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $40.00USD

Pulse of the Movement Talk Radio
Talk radio on topics such as African history, sports, news/ current affairs, religion, politics, education, economics/ finance. This content is specifically for the KOTF UrbanFire available radio show slots.
Submissions Criteria:
• 25 minutes minimum run time per show
• 200 minutes maximum run time per show, needs to be broken up into identifiable 25-minute segments
• Writer, host(s), or producer must be a person of Moorish descent
• Content should reflect the times
• If submitted content has previously been made available to the public via any platform (broadcast radio/ television, Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, MOD, etc.) prior to June 22, 2018, only new unreleased content is eligible for submission.
• Entrants can be of any age.
• Submissions are open to the United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, UK, and Jamaica entries.
• Content must be in the English language.
Award Eligibility:
Audience Award–Best Web Original
Submission deadlines and fees:
No later than Fee
Early Submissions: August 21, 2022 $35.00USD
Regular Submissions: April 21, 2023 $60.00USD
Late Submissions: May 22—28, 2023 $75.00USD

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The UBRTF Fest Official Terms
The 2nd Annual UrbanFire Binge Radio Television & Film Festival will take place in Fort Worth, Texas from June 21st through June 25th, 2023.

1. Submission Deadlines
Earlybird Submissions will be accepted from 21 August 2022 through February 21nd, 2023 with an 11:59 PM deadline; the regular deadline is from the 22nd of February through April 21st, 2023 at 11:59 PM; and the late deadline is May 22—28, 2023 no later than 11:59 PM. Early entry is encouraged.

2. Submission Format
Works must be submitted via FilmFreeway.
We do not accept subsequent cuts or more complete versions of submitted works, therefore changing or updating the originally submitted work is not accepted.

3. Submission Eligibility
- All submissions must have been completed after October 31st, 2021.
- UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival requires a written license for any content.
- There is no premiere policy for any content.
- Works-in-progress and films with distribution are accepted.

4. Premiere Status
- There is no Premiere policy for content; they may have screened at other Festivals and/or online. However, works must be licensable so that The UBN can publish them.

5. Content Classification
All content screened during the UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival must be in accordance with policy. This means we cannot accept anyone underage during any screening of the Festival. Please take this into account when submitting to UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival.

6. Submissions
To deliver your works, indicate the category you are submitting works into (multiple categories welcome):
Narrative Features
Documentaries
KOTF Short Film Shootout
TV Show Originals
Web Originals
UrbanFire Movitech™ Originals
Original Radio-Ready Music
CombustionTV Music Videos
Pulse of the Movement Talk Radio shows

Any questions should be sent to:

ubrtfsubmit@urtf.theubn.tv

If the media is selected for the Festival all shipping and postage costs for DCPs and additional materials sent to and returned from UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival must be borne by the submitting party. UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival will not accept Cash On Delivery shipments. UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival will not absorb any fees incurred in customs. All charges must be pre-paid.

7. Confirmation of Works
Submissions are reviewed and confirmed under the following criteria:
- Quality of narrative and production values.
- Independent nature of the production.

8. Notification
The UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival endeavors to complete all confirmation procedures by Monday, May 29th, 2023, and inform all submitting parties, in writing via email, if their content has been successful or not after that time. Successful submissions will receive an UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival Pack that will include important information on getting to Fort Worth Convention Center and Hotel block prices for the Festival, access passes, press and publicity, contact information, and how to make the most of participating in the Festival.

All foreign language films MUST contain English subtitles files.

UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival aspires to provide the best quality projection possible but will not be held liable for any failure in the technical quality of the projection, nor will fees be refunded in any such case. UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival assumes that the submitting party or producer(s) or entrant(s) or print source company has been insured for damage and loss of the festival file.

9. Scheduling
Screenings are scheduled at the discretion of the UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival. While every effort will be made to adhere to the published schedule, UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival reserves the right to make changes at any time for any reason. UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival will not be liable for any costs claimed as a result of a change in schedule.

No film may be withdrawn from the festival program after its confirmation.

12. Festival Awards
Grand Jury Awards
—Best Narrative Feature
—Best Actor
—Best Director
—Best Screenplay
—Best Original Documentary

Best Original KOTF Short Film
Best Original TV Show
Best Web Original
The Movitech™ Original
Best Original Music
Best Original Music Video
Pulse of the Movement

If shortlisted for an Award you will be directly contacted by The UrbanFire Binge RTF Festival.