After a pair of Toronto International Film Festival screenings Friday that saw no mention of Nate Parker’s past sexual assault trial and a press conference Sunday morning largely devoted to the themes of the film, Parker was finally asked about the subject.
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The subject stayed largely out of sight for much of the hour, as cast members that included Colman Domingo, Gabrielle Union, Aunjanue Ellis and Jackie Earle Haley spoke movingly about the challenges of injustice and the struggle against racial inequality, prompted by questions about the film from moderator Cori Murray, from Essence magazine. “Personal life aside, I’m just one person”.
“Birth of a Nation” swept all top categories at the Sundance Film Festival Awards in January, becoming only the fourth film to capture all of the festival’s highest honors.
The reporter’s question came immediately after he asked Parker if he felt the drama could affect the success of the film, which won acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah earlier this year (Jan16).
Parker gave a similar answer he gave Buckley and did not address it. Fox Searchlight Pictures even paid an astounding $17.5 million for the rights to distribute the film in North America.
It was almost a month ago that reports surfaced of the 1999 case in which Parker was charged with sexually assaulting a fellow student while attending Penn State University – an offense he was acquitted of. “This is a forum for the other people sitting on this stage”. “I don’t want to hijack this for my personal life”.
“I really wanted to say”, he added, “‘hey, this is about the film, let’s keep it about the film, let’s see what we can get from the film'”. Parker, 36, was later acquitted, but his college roommate and wrestling teammate, Jean Celestin, who also happens to be his collaborator on the film, was found guilty before his verdict was overturned. “This isn’t the Nate parker story”.
Cameron Bailey, TIFF’s artistic director, moderated a post-screening Q&A, though none of the questions touched on Parker’s personal history, and the two brief audience questions allowed also stuck to the film itself, rather than the filmmaker. It’s not mine, I don’t own it. Looking to get the conversation back on his film, Parker and his cast on Sunday talked extensively about the film’s message about injustices past, and present.
“Sometimes a grip or gaffer had the best idea and that’s what we went with”, he said. And I think this film will be part of that education, showing someone that had the fortitude to fight back in the way they did then – and now we can fight back with art.
However, in the past month Parker has had to address a decade-old rape allegation, and a recent revelation that the alleged victim committed suicide in 2012.
Although her role is small and comes with no lines, Union said, “I thought it was more important to be the symbol that people can recognize to put the face to voicelessness and powerlessness that sexual assault leaves us with”. “We’re creating a movement”. “This is the Nat Turner story”.
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“If you’re a decent human being who wants to take part in a conversation at the very least, about the things that bug the crap out of you, this movie is for you, and I hope you don’t sit it out”, Union told reporters.
