THE BIRTH OF A NATION Teaser Trailer
The hit of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Birth of a Nation took home the Audience Award, the Grand Jury Prize, and the largest deal in the history of the festival. Worldwide rights went to Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million, a financial risk that Variety claims isn’t quite as big as it would seem (read about that here).
Those kinds of headlines make the film seem flashier and more mainstream than it is, but in reality, writer, director, and star Nate Parker had to claw to get this film made. Apparently, the story of a preacher/slave leading a rebellion against Virginian slave owners wasn’t attractive when he was pitching it to financers. He worked on the project in some capacity for seven years, eventually refusing to shoot another film until the Nat Turner story got made. The term ‘passion project’ may get kicked around a lot, but it’s been earned here.
Parker reportedly turned down a more lucrative $20 million dollar deal from Netflix, opting for less money but a guaranteed theatrical release on at least 1,500 screens in America. Exposure seems to be the driving force for Parker, not for himself but for the ongoing fight against racial injustice that’s at the center of his film. It’s scheduled October release means it’s primed for an awards season run, especially given the industry’s desire to avoid another #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
Its title, obviously, is a direct reference to the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, who’s sympathetic (to put it lightly) portrait of the Ku Klux Klan led to a massive resurgence for the hate group. Parker hopes his film will spark the same level of cultural reaction, just in the opposite direction.
The Birth of a Nation is directed by Nate Parker and stars Parker, Armie Hammer, and Aja Naomi King. It will be released in the U.S. on October 7th, 2016 and in the U.K. on January 20th, 2017. International release dates can be found here.
Do you think The Birth of a Nation can achieve the cultural impact it aspires to? Let us know in the comments!
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