Will Rape Charges Complicate “Birth”?
Executives at Fox Searchlight are scrambling to deal with the aftermath of a series of interviews last week in which the star and director of “The Birth of A Nation,†Nate Parker, addressed a rape trial from his past. The specialty films division bet big on the indie at the Sundance Film Festival, shelling out a record-breaking $17.5 million for drama about the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner, hoping it would enter the zeitgeist at a time when racial issues are at the forefront of American politics.
But now, the studio is taking a wait and see approach to a proposed ambitious release plan that had called for extensive outreach to church groups, college campuses and prominent Hollywood figures. Parker not only stars in “The Birth of a Nation †— he also wrote, directed and produced the film. Fox Searchlight declined to comment on this article. In a statement on Friday, the studio said: “Fox Searchlight is aware of the incident that occurred while Nate Parker was at Penn State. We also know that he was found innocent and cleared of all charges. We stand behind Nate and are proud to help bring this important and powerful story to the screen.â€
Despite the fact that Parker was acquitted of the rape charges in 2001, there are still concerns inside Fox Searchlight that the complicated issues raised by the case could overshadow a movie that was expected to be an Oscar front-runner. Parker’s co-writer on the film, Jean Celestin, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the same 18-year-old female, who claimed to be unconscious, after a night of drinking. Celestin appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial in 2005, but the case never made it back to court after the victim decided not to testify again.
