Nate Parker?’s ?’The Birth of a Nation,’ The Nat Turner Slave Rebellion Film, Hits Big At Sundance Film Festival
Filmmaker Nate Parker? debuted ?The Birth of a Nation, the story of a slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in 1831, at the Sundance Film Festival this month to rave reviews. As soon as the credits began, the audience erupted into a standing ovation that became one of the longest in the film festival’s history, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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The Birth of a Nation stars Parker, playing Nat Turner, a former slave who led a rebellion and liberation movement from white slave owners in 1831. Armie Hammer, Jackie Earle Haley, Aja Naomi King, Penelope Ann Miller, and Gabrielle Union are also in the film. Filmmaker Spike Lee was also in attendance in the audience during the screening.
“I think any time we’re dealing with our history, specifically with slavery, I find that it has been desperately sanitized,” said Parker.
Nate Parker himself grew up in Virginia, only 40 miles east of where Nat Turner’s rebellion took place. Parker has been an actor for over a decade and gave it up for nearly two years while he was trying to make the film. Because of the story centering around slavery in the 1880s, Nate ran into plenty of hardships trying to get financing for the project. David S. Goyer, Michael Novogratz, Michael Finley, and Tony Parker are among the film’s several executive producers.
“It was very difficult, for so many reasons,” Parker said. “I think any time we’re dealing with our history, specifically with slavery, I find that it has been desperately sanitized. There’s a resistance to dealing with this material.”
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“It sucked, it was not fun,” actor Armie Hammer said, answering a question about his experience on set playing slave owner Benjamin Turner. “There were definitely days when Nate had to stop what we were doing and remind us why we were all here because everybody felt the emotional burden of it,” he said. “But at the same time it was a story that needs to be told.”
According to the Wrap, The Birth of a Nation caused multiple studios to create a bidding war for distribution rights for the film. It appears as if Fox Searchlight is the current frontrunner for highest price offer for Nate Parker?’s ?The Birth of a Nation, with $16 million for a wide release.
[Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Kari Feinstein]