Director Nate Parker arrives for the premiere of the film The Birth Of a Nation at TIFF the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto.
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“I think one of the handsome things we can all relate to Nate…. uh Nat…”, she stuttered during last night’s Q&A, “is that we’re all capable of evolution”.
Parker chose to sidestep the question, answering: “I would say, you know, first of all, I’ve addressed it”.
The film’s cast received a standing ovation after the screening, People.com reports. He went on for several minutes explaining that over 400 people had been involved with the project and had made sacrifices and put their lives on hold for it, and how it wasn’t fair to let that work go to waste. “Personal life aside, I’m just one person”. The way we ran our set, there was no hierarchy.
Parker is front-and-centre in the film, as director, co-writer and lead star, in the role of Nat Turner, an American-born slave turned preacher who led an 1831 slave rebellion in Virginia that is seen as an important step toward the eventual abolition of slavery in the U.S. “Respectfully, I want to thank again the Toronto International Film Festival for allowing us to be here”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. But the rudiments of Oscar campaigning took on a odd and at times awkward feel when contrasted with the grave issue that hung above the film. “It’s going to be a lot of uncomfortable, awkward, heated conversations, but that’s the only way we can hope to have evolution and hope to have behavioural shifts, which is what Nat Turner [the main character in Birth of a Nation] was all about”.
Union, a rape survivor, was aware of the allegation, but wanted to do the film to have a platform for dialogue.
Union previously promised she would not take allegations against Parker “lightly”, writing in The Los Angeles Times, “Since Nate Parker’s story was revealed to me, I have found myself in a state of stomach-churning confusion”.
Union said sexual violence makes her want to “puke”, but she said “The Birth of a Nation” is about confronting injustice in all its forms and can help to start a much-needed conversation about race in America. The spoke about the contributions made by his fellow actors, seven of whom sat on stage with him, and the others that worked on the movie.
“If you are wondering about Colin Kaepernick and his stand for equality and if he’s on the right side of history”, she said, “there’s nothing more patriotic than resistance”. She continued: “That movement is inclusive”. “It includes people who fight back against sexual violence”. “You forget you’re sitting in a movie theater”. I didn’t know the Nat Turner story.
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“This has been such a labour of love for us and we are just desperately proud to present it to you”, he added. Parker was acquitted; Celestin was convicted, but the charge was later overturned. The reality is we’ve all been traumatised.
