‘Snow Colored Ashes’ Awarded as Runner-Up for Best AI-Generated Film Following Historic Premiere at Oscar-Qualifying Festival
This October, the Lyone Media Group team traveled to New York City to see Snow Colored Ashes make history at Regal Union Square as one of the first AI films in history to premiere at an Oscar-Qualifying festival.
The film had its East Coast U.S. premiere on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the 30th Anniversary Urbanworld Film Festival, where it was also awarded Runner-Up for Best AI-Generated or Assisted Film. As one of the world's largest internationally competitive film festivals, this year's festival featured a wide array of narrative features, documentary showcases, short film blocks, and industry panels.
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Urbanworld Celebrates 30 Years with Landmark Screenings and Awards
This year's festival program spanned multiple competitive blocks and special screenings, offering audiences an immersive look at contemporary filmmaking. Alongside high-profile dramatic features and thought-provoking documentaries, the festival emphasized emerging digital frontiers through specialized short film programs.
Panels and networking events brought together filmmakers, producers, and industry leaders to discuss the shifting economics of distribution, the importance of equitable representation, and the integration of new technological workflows into traditional production pipelines. The atmosphere at Urbanworld this year reflected a community actively engaging with the past, present, and future of the film industry.
The Historic Premiere of 'Snow Colored Ashes' at Regal Union Square
The post-war drama Snow Colored Ashes had its official East Coast U.S. premiere on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Regal Union Square as part of The Next 30: Worlds in Motion program block from 11:30 AM - 12:22 PM (EDT). The film played in Auditorium 1 alongside Silent Friends, 1.159 If Black, the 2D-animated Boxboy Jr. Cardboard Box Adventures, and ChikaBOOM! starring Yara Shahidi, Natasha Lyonne, and Tika Sumpter. Attendees also received our custom-printed, collectible East Coast premiere tickets!
Following the screening, the audience participated in a Q&A session with the film's screenwriter, R.L. Lyone. The Q&A was hosted by Urbanworld juror and founder/CEO of Harlem Film House, CR Capers. The discussion explored the creative choices behind Snow Colored Ashes, the fictional world the film is set in, the ethical and technical challenges of using artificial intelligence in film production workflows, and the thematic inspiration drawn from Lyone's family's stories of surviving the war in Uganda.
Urbanworld Jury Awards 'Snow Colored Ashes' Runner-Up in New AI Category
To conclude the festival week, award recipients were announced across 13 competitive categories. In Urbanworld's brand new category designed to recognize excellence in digital innovation, Snow Colored Ashes won Runner-Up for Best AI-Generated or Assisted Film.
This controversial AI category, which led the Writers Guild to withdraw sponsorship of the festival, featured exceptional international works. The top honor was awarded to the Indonesian film Silent Friends by Enyu Tao. Honorable mention recognition was given to Last Call by Korean filmmakers Sook Go and Hoonmin Yeun (Sook & Noon). This acknowledgment from the Urbanworld jury highlights the evolving reception of AI in highly regarded film industry spaces.
R.L. Lyone at the 30th Urbanworld Filim Festival 10-16-2026 R.L. Lyone at the 30th Urbanworld Filim Festival 10-17-2026
Recap Snow Colored Ashes' Premiere and R.L. Lyone's Red Carpet Moments
For those who could not join us in New York or want to revisit the atmosphere of the festival, our recap video of the 30th Anniversary Urbanworld Film Festival is now live on the Lyone Media Group YouTube channel! It features live red carpet coverage, R.L. Lyone's press interviews, and glimpses of Snow Colored Ashes' historic premiere at Regal Union Square!
As we conclude the Fall film festival season, we remain profoundly grateful to the programmers, jurors, journalists, and audiences who have welcomed this story into their spaces. Thank you for walking this path with us, and we look forward to sharing what comes next.
The Full List of 2026 Urbanworld Award Recipients
Best Feature Narrative
Winner: Silent Partner
Runner-Up: Three Colors: Pan-African
Honorable Mention: 93' Til
Best Narrative Short - U.S.
Winner: Stand Clear ' the Closing Doors
Runner-Up: Switches
Honorable Mention: The Ride
Best Narrative Short - International
Winner: Fire Lily
Runner-Up: Never Give Up
Honorable Mention: Between Realms
Best International Feature Narrative
Winner: Add to Cart
Runner-Up: Billie
Honorable Mention: Seahorse
Best Animation
Winner: Stone Lions Don't Roar
Runner-Up: ChikaBOOM!
Honorable Mention: BoxBoy
Best AI-Generated or Assisted Film
Winner: Silent Friends
Runner-Up: Snow Colored Ashes **
Honorable Mention: Last Call
Best Young Creator
Winner: Yellow Pages
Runner-Up: John
Honorable Mention: Fallout
Best Episodic, Web, and Digital Storytelling
Winner: Banana
Runner-Up: Ti Blan
Honorable Mention: Changing Tourism
Best Documentary Feature
Winner: Love Patrick
Runner-Up: The Unrooted Bloom
Honorable Mention: You Don't Know My Name
Best Documentary Short
Winner: Chosen
Runner-Up: Free Lyric
Honorable Mention: Tyrone
Best Screenplay
Winner: Sundown - Written by Alan C. Beard
Honorable Mention: The Eleven - Written by Patrice Williams Marks
NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Directing - Narrative Feature
Winner: Sheri Hagen - Billie
NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Directing - Documentary Feature
Winners: Cassidy Friedman and Amber Allen-Peirson - The Unrooted Bloom
