Voter Registration at 'Birth of a Nation' Screening

"Partnering with several independent movie theater chains."

9.26.2016

Oscar bait Birth of a Nation – the tragic story of Nat Turner's failed 1831 slave rebellion in the antebellum South – will also be pushing voter registration during some of its advanced screenings.

Partnering with several independent movie theater chains, Fox Searchlight's initiative will launch on National Voter Registration Day on September 27 and end on October 9 shortly after the film goes nationwide on October 7.

Though attendees will be asked to register in the lobbies prior to the screening, a PSA featuring the film's stars Nate Parker, Gabrielle Union, and Colman Doming will air in the movie theater. See below:

From Breitbart:

The production company has partnered with organizations including the League of Women Voters, the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, the North Carolina Black Youth Vote Network and NYC Votes on the campaign.

Participating theaters include smaller chains like Bow Tie Cinemas, Marcus Theatres and Movie Taverns, plus a number of independent theaters in states including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio.

Birth of a Nation has generated much Oscar buzz in recent months, though that was largely stifled after news surfaced that the film's director and star, Nate Parker, had been acquitted of raping a 17-year-old he had sexual relations with in 1999. The mounting controversy so close to the film's release date forced Fox Searchlight to alter the film’s promotional campaign to limit Parker's exposure in the media and cancel several screenings.