Parker, whose latest project, Birth of a Nation, is due October 7, was referring to the 1999 rape charges filed against him and co-writer Jean McGianni Celestin when they were roommates and wrestling teammates at Penn State. He appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial in 2005, but the case was thrown out after the victim decided not to testify again, Variety reported.
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NEW YORK (AP) “Festival fever” is the name the film industry gives to the inflated reception a movie can experience at a festival, where exuberant audiences and the competition of negotiations can ratchet up a film’s hype and price tag.
Nate Parker has become a nexus of controversy thanks to rape allegations from 1999 resurfacing with the critical acclaim of his forthcoming film, A Birth of a Nation. “The Birth of a Nation”, co-written, directed and starring Parker, has been celebrated as an urgent and important film for both an America roiled by protest over racial equality, and for Hollywood, which is still dealing with a diversity crisis.
A 17-year-old rape case has come back to haunt actor Nate Parker.
More than 15 years after the alleged assault, it has been revealed that the woman who accused Parker of the alleged assault committed suicide in 2012. Celestin’s conviction was eventually overturned when a judge ruled his attorney was ineffective. In it, he writes that he understands why the case attracts so much attention. Parker and Celestin allegedly harassed the accuser on campus.
The woman, under the name Jane Doe, then sued Penn State for failing to protect her from harassment; the case was settled for $17,500. It was also recently discovered that the accuser dropped out of college, attempted suicide multiple times and died four years ago at age 30. A girl is gone and so I can’t ignore the fact that, yes, her brother is absolutely right in saying that had this case been tried here and now the outcome may not be so pleasing for Parker.
He maintained his innocence, but added that he wished he had been more empathetic at the time, writing: “There are things more important than the law”. According to a court document, as a result of the harassment, the accuser “suffered severe depression, sleeplessness, and anxiety attacks”. Though she has mixed feelings about the quick-to-judge mob mentality of social media, she believes the awards prospects of “The Birth of a Nation” have likely been irreparably damaged. “I must admit Penn State has a horrendous record”, he said, referring to the former football coach at the University convicted of molesting children.
When The Birth of a Nation premiered at Sundance, it generated an vast amount of buzz, earning both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
The Beyond the Lights actor wrote that it was hard to hear the news. Fox Searchlight purchased the movie at Sundance for a record-breaking .5 million. Fox Searchlight, though, promised a robust release of at least 1,500 screens, a wide release for any Sundance indie. That means pressure isn’t just on the film to woo awards but to draw at the box office.
In early September, the film will play at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Moviegoers have this year been frequently faced with a moral decision at the theater ticket window. Oscar nominations are announced on January 24. “I stand here, a 36-year-old man, 17 years removed from one of the painful moments in my life”. While I will be covering Birth of a Nation because of its historic and cinematic precedence, I’ll no longer be so enthralled with celebrity and “blackness” to assume I know anyone simply based upon the occasional 15-minute encounter.
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