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Fox Searchlight purchased Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” for $17.5 million dollars. The sale—the result of an overnight bidding war after the film’s Sundance Film Festival screening—set the record for most expensive film purchase ever made at the Sundance Film Festival.
Bids came in immediately after the film’s Sundance premiere screening yesterday (January 26), according to Deadline. Both Deadline and Variety reported that bids went as high as $20 million from Netflix.
“The Birth of a Nation” dramatizes Nat Turner’s leadership of an armed rebellion to free enslaved African-Americans in antebellum Virginia. Parker, who stars as Turner, also produced, co-wrote, directed and partially financed the film. The film also stars Gabrielle Union, Aja Naomi King and Armie Hammer.
Fox Searchlight previously distributed ”12 Years A Slave,” which won an Oscar in the “Best Picture” category in 2014. Variety and Deadline both reported that many Sundance attendees believe “The Birth of a Nation” to be an early Oscar contender, especially given the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that led to the Academy revising its voting protocol.
3 Comments
I've been waiting for a film like this!
How is it that every media piece about this new film I've come across neglects to make any mention of the FIRST Birth of Nation, the first and worst white supremacist propaganda movie ever made. I'm sure the producers had something specific in mind worth discussing when they titled it the way they did. Journalists? Any ideas??
Can you imagine Toni Morrison writing a new book called "Mein Kampf" and nobody tried to provide any context at all??
I loved the critique of the movie "Birth of A Nation by both writers. Sista 's insights were applaudable.