BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County Library presents a free screening of Burning Cane, the award-winning film by 19-year-old filmmaker Phillip Youmans, from 6:30 to 9:30PM on February 21st at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center (AARLCC), 2650 Sistrunk Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311, 954-357-6282. 

 Burning Cane won 2019 Tribeca Film Festival's awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Cinematography and Best Actor (Wendell Pierce). The film was also a 2019 Venice Film Festival Official Selection. Burning Cane is Youmans’ feature directorial debut and was written, photographed and co-edited by Youmans. The film was acquired by Ava DuVernay's film company, Array.

The intimate drama captures the complexity and complacency of family life and religion in rural Louisiana. With his spare, almost documentary filmmaking style, Phillip Youmans, captures the daily lives of the characters and the natural beauty of the town of Laurel Valley and manages to humanize the flawed characters.

Set among the cane fields of rural Louisiana, Burning Cane follows a deeply religious, God-fearing mother struggling to reconcile her tightly-held convictions of faith with the love she has for her troubled, self-destructive son while also witnessing her dejected pastor’s decline.

This cinema event is a free program; registration via Eventbrite is requested. For additional information on upcoming programs, contact Makiba Foster at mjfoster@broward.org or 954-357-6176.  

About Broward County Libraries Division
 Broward County Libraries Division, named 2015 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association, was founded in 1974 and is the largest library system in Florida by square footage and one of the busiest, with more than 7.5 million walk-in customers visiting its 38 locations annually. Broward County Libraries Division provides convenient access to a full range of innovative and cost-effective services that satisfy the changing needs of the people of Broward County for information, education and recreation. Visit our website, Broward.org/Library, or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.

DATE: December 11, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine McElrath
Libraries Division
PHONE: 954-357-7402
EMAIL: cmcelrath@Broward.org