Fox Searchlight has acquired the worldwide rights to Nate Parker's slave-drama "Birth of a Nation" for a record-breaking $17.5 million at the Sundance Film Festival, according to Variety.
The Weinstein Company, Netflix, Paramount and Sony also submitted offers for the film, but Fox emerged victorious in an overnight bidding war, which apparently included a $20 million offer from Netflix.
Fox's deal marked the biggest in Sundance history, a title previously held by "Little Miss Sunshine," which Fox bought for approximately $10 million in 2006.
Parker, who wrote and directed the project, will also be seen in an acting capacity as Nat Turner in the film, which received an incredible response, including a standing ovation after its premiere at the film festival, according to Deadline.
"I made this film for one reason - with the hope of creating change agents," Parker said during the film's Q&A, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "That people can watch this film and be affected. That you can watch this film and see that there were systems that were in place that were corrupt and corrupted people and the legacy of that still lives with us. I just want you, if you are affected and you are so moved, to ask yourself, 'Are there systems in my life that need attention, whether it be racial, gender?' There are a lot of injustices."
"Birth of a Nation" follows the story of Turner, an African-American slave who led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831. The film also stars Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley and Gabrielle Union.
