Nia DaCosta’s feature directorial debut has secured North American distribution. Neon acquired the rights to the Tribeca winner, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.Tessa Thompson and Lily James star in the modern Western.

Set in North Dakota, the pic centers on step-sisters. Ollie (Thompson) is on parole and Deb (James) is poor and pregnant with no support from her deadbeat ex. With one week to settle the mortgage on their mother’s house or face foreclosure, the pair resort to working outside the law. DaCosta penned the script.

“Little Woods” made its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in April. DaCosta took home the fest’s Nora Ephron Award, given in honor of a woman writer and/or director. The prize includes $25,000.

“Part of what drew me to the story was my desire to explore a rural part of America that I was unfamiliar with and understand the lives of women in these spaces,” DaCosta told us. “When I found the oil boomtown, Williston, North Dakota, I knew that my story would need to take place in this part of the U.S. It was this quintessentially American space, an oil rush town, the wild west, where people go to live out the American Dream and where the promise is not met,” she explained.

Asked what she’d like people to think about when they are leaving a screening of “Little Woods,” the writer-director said, “The multiplicity of lives and experiences in America — how different we are, the relative privilege or disadvantages we experience, and our capacity for empathy.”

Perhaps best known for her role in “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thompson’s other credits include “Westworld,” “Annihilation,” and “Creed.” Her latest pic, Laurie Collyer’s “Furlough,” hit theaters in March. Thompson plays a corrections officer in the comedy.

“Cinderella,” “Downton Abbey,” and “Baby Driver” are among James’ previous credits. She stars in the “Mamma Mia!” sequel, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” set to bow July 20.