AFI postpones ‘The Birth of a Nation’ screening, Parker Q&A

Parker was acquitted in 2001 but Celestin was sentenced to six months in prison for sexual assault before the conviction was overturned on appeal because the alleged victim refused to testify again.

In this image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, from left, Armie Hammer portrays Samuel Turner, Nate Parker portrays Nat Turner and Jayson Warner Smith portrays Earl Fowler in a scene from The Birth of a Nation, opening October 7, 2016.

According to Deadline, the American Film Institute has axed a planned screening and Q&A with Nate that was scheduled to go down this Friday.

His directorial debut on one of America’s most important slave rebellions has generated huge buzz amid nationwide protests over police shootings of black youths and with America polarized over immigration and terrorism. His name was Nate Parker.

Earlier this year, many pegged the film and Parker as leading award candidates during Oscar season, but the hype surrounding the project has been derailed after a 1999 rape allegation against Parker and Birth of a Nation’s co-writer, Jean Celestine, reemerged. “In that case, gender, and in the case of Nat Turner and the slaves that he led in revolt, due to their race”. Fox Searchlight Pictures bought the worldwide rights to film for $17.5 million, the largest deal to date at the film festival. However, Celestin does not appear to be getting almost as much scrutiny in the media at the present time. “We demand of the protagonists of popular culture … to be models of the behavior we find desirable”.

Actor Nate Parker poses at the premiere of his new film “Non-Stop” in Los Angeles, California, US February 24, 2014.

“It’s interesting because it’s coming out the same time the film’s coming out”.

“That film did more to articulate and focus post-Civil War racism in America than any other document or artifact of popular culture ever did”, Hagopian said. “However, we are dubious of the underlying motivations that bring this to present light after 17 years, and we will not take part in stoking its coals”, the statement to The New York Times reads.

“I see now that I may not have shown enough empathy even as I fought to clear my name”, he said.

“Next week, we will be scheduling a special moderated discussion so we may explore these issues together as artists and audience”, he continued.