‘Birth of a Nation’ Gets Biggest Sundance Deal Ever

Fox Searchlight set a Sundance Film Festival record in purchasing the worldwide rights to The Birth of a Nation in a $17.5 million deal. Variety reports the Weinstein Company, Netflix, Paramount, and Sony also made offers on the film. Netflix reportedly offered $20 million for the movie, but ultimately lost out. The film tells the story of Nat Turner, the black Virginian who led a slave rebellion in 1831, ultimately leading to his execution.