Burning Cane named Best Narrative Feature at Tribeca

House Of Hummingbird and Scottish doc Scheme Birds among winners

by Anne-Katrin Titze

Jane Rosenthal presents the Founders Award for Best US Narrative Feature to Phillip Youmans for Burning Cane
Jane Rosenthal presents the Founders Award for Best US Narrative Feature to Phillip Youmans for Burning Cane Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Burning Cane, directed and shot by Phillip Youmans, is one of the big winners at the 18th Tribeca Film Festival, capturing the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature and Best Cinematography, while his star Wendell Pierce won Best Actor. Youmans film, which follows a deeply religious mother struggling to reconcile her convictions of faith with the love she has for her troubled son, is a particularly impressive achievement as he wrote, directed and shot it at the age of just 17.

Angela Bassett and Steve Zaillian honour House Of Hummingbird director Bora Kim
Angela Bassett and Steve Zaillian honour House Of Hummingbird director Bora Kim Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Bora Kim's coming-of-age drama House Of Hummingbird (Beol-sae) won Best International Narrative Feature, Best Cinematography by Gookhyun Kang and Best Actress for Ji-hu Park. Noah Land (Nuh Tepesi) director Cenk Ertürk took home Best International Feature Screenplay and his star Ali Atayliko won Best Actor.

On the documentary front, Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin's Scheme Birds - about a teenager in a Scottish steel town - won both the Albert Maysles Award and Best Documentary, Jennifer Tiexiera received Best Editing honors for Davy Rothbart's 17 Blocks, and Best Cinematography goes to Yang Sun and Shuang Liang for Our Time Machine.

Best New Narrative Director was awarded to Edgar Nito for The Gasoline Thieves (Huachicolero). Best Actress in a Narrative Feature went to Haley Bennett for Carlo Mirabella-Davis's Swallow and Best Screenplay to Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole for their film Blow the Man Down.

Here is the complete list of jurors and the winners:

US Narrative Competition Jurors Jonathan Ames, Cory Hardrict, Dana Harris, and Jenny Lumet

  • Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Phillip Youmans - Burning Cane
  • Best Actor Narrative Feature Wendell Pierce - Burning Cane
  • Best Actress Narrative Feature Haley Bennett - Swallow
  • Best Screenplay Narrative Feature Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole - Blow the Man Down
  • Best Cinematography Narrative Feature Phillip Youmans - Burning Cane

International Narrative Competition Jurors Angela Bassett, Famke Janssen, Baltasar Kormákur, Rebecca Miller, and Steve Zaillian

  • Best International Narrative Feature Bora Kim - House Of Hummingbird
  • Best Actor International Narrative Feature Ali Atayliko - Noah Land
  • Best Actress International Narrative Feature Ji-hu Park - House Of Hummingbird
  • Best Screenplay International Narrative Feature Cenk Ertürk - Noah Land
  • Best Cinematography International Narrative Feature Gookhyun Kang - House Of Hummingbird

Documentary Competition Jurors Drake Doremus, Robert Greene, Julie Goldman, Andrew LaVallee, and Cheryl McDonough

  • Best Documentary Feature Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin - Scheme Birds
  • Best Cinematography Yang Sun and Shuang Liang - Our Time Machine
  • Best Editing Jennifer Tiexiera - 17 Blocks

Best New Narrative Director Competition Jurors Stephen Kay, Bill Keith, Justin Long, Piper Perabo, and Mélita Toscan du Plantier

  • Best New Narrative Director Award Edgar Nito - The Gasoline Thieves (Huachicolero)

Best New Documentary Director Competition Jurors Gbenga Akinnagbe, David Cross, Orlando von Einsiedel, Kathrine Narducci, and Tig Notaro

  • The Albert Maysles Award Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin - Scheme Birds

The Nora Ephron Prize, presented by Chanel Jurors Debra Messing, Chloë Sevigny and DeWanda Wise

  • The Nora Ephron Prize Rania Attieh - Initials S.G.

Storyscapes Award Jurors Lisa Osborne, Paul Smalera and Adaora Udoji

  • Storyscapes Award Celine Tricart - The Key

Best Narrative Short and Best Animated Short Jurors Maureen Dowd, Topher Grace, Rosalind Lichter, Hamish Linklater, Lily Rabe, Phoebe Robinson, and Jeff Scher

  • Best Narrative Short Marijana Jankovic - Maja
  • Best Animated Short Jenny Wright - My Mother’s Eyes

Best Documentary Short and Student Visionary Award Jurors Dr Kevin Cahill, David Krumholtz, Kathy Najim, Sheila Nevins, Agunda Okeyo, Aaron Rodgers, and Buster Scher

  • Best Documentary Short Carol Dysinger - Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
  • Student Visionary Award Sharine Atif - Jebel Banat

The winners of the Narrative Feature and Documentary Audience Awards will be announced on another day.

The 18th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival presented by AT&T runs until May 5.

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