The Birth of a Nation (2016 film)

The Birth of a Nation
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nate Parker
Screenplay by	Nate Parker
Story by	Nate Parker Jean McGianni Celestin
Produced by	Nate Parker Kevin Turen Jason Michael Berman Aaron L. Gilbert Preston Holmes
Starring	Nate Parker Armie Hammer Mark Boone Jr. Colman Domingo Aunjanue Ellis Dwight Henry Aja Naomi King Esther Scott Roger Guenveur Smith Gabrielle Union Penelope Ann Miller Jackie Earle Haley
Cinematography	Elliot Davis
Edited by	Steven Rosenblum
Music by	Henry 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 by	Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates	January 25, 2016 (2016-01-25) (Sundance) October 7, 2016 (2016-10-07) (United States)
Running time	120 minutes[1]
Countries	United States Canada
Language	English
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]