'' The Birth of a Nation '' premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on , 2016 . Before it screened , the audience gave a standing ovation to the introduction of Nate Parker . After it premiered , '' Variety '' said it " received the most enthusiastic standing ovation at this year 's Sundance Film Festival so far " . Following '' The Birth of a Nation '' s Sundance premiere , Fox Searchlight Pictures bought worldwide rights to the film in a deal . Competing deals also came from The Weinstein Company , Sony Pictures Entertainment , and Netflix . '' Variety '' said Fox Searchlight 's deal was " the richest in Sundance history "
2016 Sundance Film Festival
2016 Sundance Film Festival
The Birth of a Nation (2016 film)