The movie about American slave rebellion has been canned by American Film Institute after the rape accusation against the director and main star resurfaced.
- Aug 25, 2016
AceShowbiz - "The Birth of a Nation" is suffering from Nate Parker rape trial scandal. A scheduled screening of the period drama produced, directed, written and led by Parker has been dropped by the American Film Institute (AFI) following the controversy.
"I have been the recipient of many different passionate points of view about the screening, and I believe it is essential that we discuss these issues together - messenger and message, gender, race and more - before we see the film," says Jan Schuette.
"Next week, we will be scheduling a special moderated discussion so we may explore these issues together as artists and audience," the AFI dean continues. "Fox has agreed to host a screening of the film for us later in the year."
"The Birth of a Nation", a movie about slave rebellion during an emotionally bleak time in American history, originally became critics' darling and received Oscar buzz following its successful Sundance premiere. However, now Oscar voters might decide to skip the film.
Marcia Nasatir, an Academy member, tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Personally, I find it really hard to separate the man from the film when he wrote, directed and starred in it. Do I want to see a movie from someone who has committed an assault against a woman and who I do not think recognizes his guilt? Right now, based on what I've read, I would not go to the movie."
Although Fox keeps the movie's release date, but there is no denying that there are signs of trouble. In a seemingly attempt to avoid public grilling on the scandal, the studio decides to forgo press screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. "That's definitive, it's definitely not going to happen," a TIFF rep tells Deadline when asked about the missing conference.
