The Birth of a Nation (2016 film)

This article is about the 2016 film. For other uses, see The Birth of a Nation (disambiguation).

The Birth of a Nation
The red stripes on the American flag consist entirely of painted figures of slaves and slave owners parallel to each other, running and wielding weapons, and the film's title replaces the white stars on top of the blue corner.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNate Parker
Screenplay byNate Parker
Story by
  • Nate Parker
  • Jean McGianni Celestin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyElliot Davis
Edited bySteven Rosenblum
Music byHenry Jackman
Production
companies
  • BRON Studios
  • Phantom Four
  • Mandalay Pictures
  • Tiny Giant Entertainment
  • Novofam Productions
  • Follow Through Productions
  • Infinity Entertainment
  • Oster Media
  • Point Made Films
  • Juniper Productions
  • Hit 55 Ventures
  • Creative Wealth Media Finance Corp.
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • January 25, 2016 (2016-01-25) (Sundance)
  • October 7, 2016 (2016-10-07) (United States)
Running time
120 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8.5 million[2]
Box office$16.8 million[2]

The Birth of a Nation is a 2016 historical drama film written and directed by Nate Parker in his directorial debut. It is based on the story of Nat Turner, the enslaved man who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. The film stars Parker as Turner, with Armie Hammer, Mark Boone Jr., Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Dwight Henry, Aja Naomi King, Esther Scott, Roger Guenveur Smith, Gabrielle Union, Penelope Ann Miller, and Jackie Earle Haley in supporting roles. Parker also petitioned financiers to invest in the film, ultimately getting $8.5 million in production budget, and started filming in May 2015 in Georgia. The film's title is an ironic callback to the 1915 KKK-focused silent film.

The Birth of a Nation premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where Fox Searchlight Pictures bought worldwide rights to the film in a $17.5 million deal (at the time the largest deal at the festival), and won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. The film was theatrically released in the United States on October 7, 2016, and grossed $16 million, receiving positive reviews from critics, with praise for its directing, acting, soundtrack, and cinematography.

Because The Birth of a Nation attracted increased attention during its festival run, there was significant press coverage of a 1999 alleged rape that Parker and co-story writer Jean McGianni Celestin were accused of having committed, and the fact that the accuser committed suicide in 2012.[3][4][5] While Parker was acquitted and Celestin was not retried after his conviction was overturned on appeal, the controversy surrounding the alleged rape and Parker's initial responses to the controversy cast a shadow over the film.[6]

  1. ^ "The Birth of a Nation (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "The Birth of a Nation (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference DailyBeast-DetailedAnalysisOfRape-2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Morales, Wilson (August 17, 2016). "Wilson Morales: Nate Parker Outrage Doesn't Pass the Smell Test (Guest Column)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  5. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (August 12, 2016). "'The Birth of a Nation' Star Nate Parker Addresses College Rape Trial".
  6. ^ "Boiseweekly.com".