Nate Parker‘s film The Birth Of A Nation is finally hitting theaters today despite all of the controversy surrounding the film and it’s director— but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still people who don’t want the movie to see the light of day.
On Thursday night, protesters, honoring victims of rape and sexual assault, gathered at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood for a silent candlelight sit-in at the first screenings of Nate Parker’s highly anticipated film. Reportedly around 30 to 40 people joined in the protest, which was organized by the group F**k Rape Culture that is made up of artists, filmmakers and women in Hollywood.
Remy Holwick, the founder of F**k Rape Culture said at the sit-in, “We were approached by women in Hollywood who felt this case was so complicated, and the conversation came up about how to respond in a way that respected how important this film was for people of color.” She continued, “We came up with a silent vigil that does nothing to condemn the makers of the film or Fox Searchlight, but does work to show that there is space for this film to both hopefully do very well and show that people of color can do very well in Hollywood and also honor those victims of rape and sexual assault who may have been buried in this conversation a little bit.”
A volunteer at the silent vigil, Stephanie Filojones, thinks that “with the release of this movie there was an opportunity to be intersectional, and they missed that mark. I think that it was a real chance for Nate Parker to recognize that the definition of consent was something that he didn’t know at the time. I think that there was a chance for him to say sorry for what he did and he could have elevated the voices of survivors that don’t have voices.”
The group released a statement on Facebook, saying, “We recognize the need to hold space for those celebrating the advancement of people of color in Hollywood while continuing to fight for the victims of sexual assault and rape around the world.”
The Birth Of A Nation hits theaters this Friday and is set to earn in the $7 million to $8 million range, according to early projections.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter |PHOTOCREDIT: Getty
