Burning Cane, the feature debut of 19-year-old New Orleans filmmaker Phillip Youmans, will World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday, April 25 in the Narrative Competition section.

Written, directed, shot, and edited by Phillip Youmans during his final years of high school and executive produced by Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Burning Cane tells the story of a deeply religious woman’s struggle to reconcile her convictions of faith with the love she has for her alcoholic son and a troubled preacher (the great Wendell Pierce of Selma and The Wire).

Set in rural Louisiana, the film explores the relationships within a southern black protestant community, examining the roots of toxic masculinity, how manhood is defined and the dichotomous role of religion within the African-American community. Youmans’ lyrical, deeply empathetic feature debut establishes the New Orleans filmmaker as an emerging auteur with an authentic, unapologetic voice.