The rights for Nate Parker’s new movie “American Skin” has been acquired by Vertical Entertainment for North American.
Parker debuted the flick at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. The film picked up the Sconfini award for Best Director. Omari Hardwick (“Power”), Theo Rossi (“Luke Cage”), Beau Knapp (“Seven Seconds”) also star in the film.
In the film, Parker’s character witnesses his 14-year-old son’s murder by a white police officer. The police officer is not charged for the murder and walks free. Marine veteran Lincoln ‘Linc’ Jefferson takes matters into his own hands and embarks on a compelling journey in the pursuit of justice for his slain son.
Watch the trailer below.
“In 2014, following the death of Michael Brown, I traveled to Ferguson, Missouri to stand against the overt domestic terrorism I saw spreading like a virus throughout our country,” Parker told Deadline. “My hope was both to amplify calls for justice, while seeking a better understanding of the tensions between law enforcement and men and women of color. The most tragic moment of this trip arrived when I stood downtown between two infuriated groups of citizens. From one side came yells of ‘Justice for Mike Brown’ and on the other ‘Support Our Police’. It became even more clear to me, the disconnect in our collective understanding of citizenship, law enforcement, and our responsibility to preserve American Black lives. This trip and subsequent killings developed in me a fire that manifested itself into the makings of this film American Skin.”
He continued: “As an American citizen, father, brother, son and artist, I felt compelled to use my platform as a filmmaker to respond to this crisis in a way that could not only promote social equity, but initiate a global culture shift that can result in the preservation of lives. If saving one life is the only thing this film achieves, it will have served its core purpose.”
American Skin will be released next year in the U.S. on Martin Luther King Day. Spike Lee serves as an executive producer on the project.
