#nat turner
Never forget ✊
This trailer gave me chills. Especially with Nina Simone’s version of Strange Fruit as the backing track.
For those wondering, the title is deliberate. (Birth of a Nation is also the title of D.W. Griffith’s incredibly racist 1915 silent film about the Civil War and the rise of the KKK).
Birth of a Nation (2016)
Slave and preacher Nate Parker (played by Nat Turner) is publicly flogged.
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Nate Parker’s Film, Birth of a Nation, premiered this past Monday. He recently sat down and commented on the racism in this country and why he chose that film title.
“This is what I think: that we as artists have to understand that there is pervasive racism in Hollywood and in America, and we can either pick the weed, or we can roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty and get into the root. Our problem, what we’re dealing with right now, is foundational. The business of Hollywood was built on the propaganda of D.W. Griffith and [1915’s] The Birth of a Nation. It was the very first feature film that played in the White House and it was an enormous success, yet it said one thing: Embrace white supremacy, and you will survive. That was his message. And America embraced it.
It was critical that I use this title. I wanted to put a spotlight on this film — what it did to America, what it did to our film industry, what it did to people of color with respect for domestic terrorism. There’s blood on that title, so I wanted to repurpose it. From now on, The Birth of a Nation is attached to Nat Turner, one of the bravest revolutionaries this country has ever seen.”
Post By @KingKwajo
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