Nate Parker has a new film coming out, and Spike Lee is throwing his full support behind it.
It’s called “American Skin,” which will play at The 76th Venice International Film Festival. Parker plays a Marine veteran who works as a janitor, and his son is killed by a police officer, who is then let off without facing trial.
Afterward, Parker’s character holds an entire police station hostage and stages a makeshift trial for the police with inmates being the jury.
“American Skin” is Parker’s first release since 2016’s “The Birth of a Nation,” which told the story of rebel slave Nat Turner. The film suffered greatly at the box office because of a 1999 rape charge that Parker was eventually acquitted of.
Both the case and the decision often came up when he promoted the now three-year-old film, despite his seeming attempts to deflect some of the questions at first.
Parker was a sophomore at Penn State University when he was charged, along with his roommate, who was one of his wrestling teammates. The accuser later committed suicide.
But despite calls for a boycott of “The Birth of a Nation” prior to its release, Parker encouraged everyone to see it because he felt it was too important to pass up.
And that’s basically what Lee said about his new film, which the 62-year-old said touched him. Lee will also be part of a Q&A with Parker at the Venice Film Festival, which runs from August 28 to September 7. Power’s” Omari Hardwick stars in the film as well.
“My brother Nate Parker has concocted a brave tour de force,” said Lee in a statement. “I haven’t been affected by a film like this on so many levels in a long, long time.”
“It is my hope and prayer that the movie audience will understand this battle between love and hate, which has divided our world. Bravo Nate, Bravo,” he added.
