Ever since 17 year old rape allegations resurfaced, controversies swirled surrounding Nate Parker and the release of his film, The Birth Of A Nation. The film was bought for $17.5 million by Fox Searchlight and was the toast of Sundance, but the rape allegations from Parker’s time at Penn State have overshadowed the lead up to the movie’s release almost completely.
While Parker was not charged (his friend and cowriter of Nation, Jean Celestin, was), the woman at the center of the case overdosed on sleeping pills in 2012 after over a decade of dealing with the after effects of the assault. Parker responded to the news that she had committed suicide with “profound sorrow,” but many are still angered by his actions. His Birth Of A Nation costar and rape survivor, Gabrielle Union, penned a powerful essay about the damning effects of rape culture, turning the controversy into an essential conversation, something that Parker has been unable or unwilling to do.
With the release of The Birth Of A Nation on October 7th, The Hollywood Reporter broke that Parker will be participating in his first major television interview about the film on Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. Apparently the interview was scheduled before the scandal reemerged months ago, but Cooper will be certainly reference the allegations. This will give Parker a platform to tell his side of the story, but at this point, there might not be that many who are willing hear it.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
