THE BIRTH OF A NATION set a new sales record Tuesday at Sundance Film Festival, netting a $17.5 million distribution deal from Fox Searchlight, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
Fox Searchlight is closing a $17.5 million deal to acquire worldwide rights to THE BIRTH OF A NATION, a drama about the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner, that had an electrifying premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
An overnight bidding war included escalating offers from The Weinstein Company, Netflix, and Sony who were among the companies making offers on the picture. It seems the movie has drawn a lot of attention as bidding lasted through the night, with one company, believed to be Netflix, offering $20 million for the picture, meaning this deal is the richest in Sundance history.
The audience who viewed the film at Sundance certainly seemed to appreciate the movie because as soon as the lights went up following the picture’s debut at the Eccles Theatre the Oscar buzz already began surrounding the film.
The film was written and directed by Nate Parker, who also stars in the film as Turner and he actually invested his own money in the production of the movie. That may seem a rather brave thing to do, but Parker seems to know when he is onto a winner. He is best known for his work in THE GREAT DEBATERS and BEYOND THE LIGHTS.
Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, and Mark Boone Junior all star in the movie.
