TIFF 2016: Birth of a Nation controversy follows Nate Parker to TIFF

A criminal chargethatNate Parker faced 17 years ago has followed him to the Toronto International Film Festival.

On Festival Street, film fan Duane Farley shakes his head, disappointed that allegations of rape continue to dog the filmmakerwhobrought his latest project, The Birth of a Nation, to thefestival for a screening Friday night.

"He should have probably disclosed it. But it's a very sensitive issue, too," Farley said.

The writer, director and leadactor in the biopic adapted from William Styron's Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Confessions of Nat Turnerwas tried for rape as a teen and wasacquitted in 2001.

• 'I was a dog': Birth of a Nation's Nate Parker addresses rape case controversy

• TIFF 2016: Diversity buzz for TIFF's opening film is accidental, cast says

• TIFF seeks to evolve and stay relevant as it opens with The Magnificent Seven

• Festival Street: What you can do outside the cinema during the festival

Hehas always maintained his innocence andexpressed sorrowlast monthwhen he learned the woman he was accused of assaultingcommitted suicide four years ago.

But after the release of the film this year, a controversy erupted, in part over whether Parker had a responsibility to talk publicly about the case.

TIFF's artistic director, Cameron Bailey says there are 296 films screening at the festival and he doesn't know the personal stories of most of the filmmakers. In this case, he says it's complicated.

I do think we should be able to assess the art separately from the artist.- Cameron Bailey, TIFF artistic director

"I do think we should be able to assess the art separately from the artist," Bailey said.

In an op-edcolumnfor the Los AngelesTimes, actress Gabrielle Union wroteshe was raped at gunpoint decades ago.
In the film her character is sexually assaulted. She writes she "took this part to talk about sexual violence" and says it "opens up the conversation."

Bailey saidParker has had to learn to listen and to understand what that means to women like Union who've experienced sexual violence "to work on a film that they're proud of but then to also have that experience and then to read what they're reading about him."

The head of the Montreal Black Film Festival, Fabienne Colas says the controversy is overshadowing the achievements of the filmmaker, saying people went back and dug "into his past almost 20 years ago when he was underage.".

She listedParker's recent successes:the making ofThe Birth of a Nationand selling it to Fox Searchlight for more than $17 million.

"He had not been found guilty of anything. He has been acquitted. And then this is the story? I mean, seriously? I'm very disappointed," Colas added. "This guy is trying to make his people proud."

He has beenacquitted. And then this is the story? I mean seriously? I'm very disappointed.- Fabienne Colas, Montreal Black Film Festival

The film was scheduled to screen Fridayat 8 p.m. but the cast did not take part in media interviews either before, or as is often the tradition on the way into the theatre on the red carpet.

For 11 years, film buff Sarah Twomey has faithfully attended the festival, making sure to take vacation daysto coincide with it.She says it's often the questions the moviemakers answer after films that are themost memorable, and this might be a case in point if Parker gets grilledabout his past.

"If they do a Q&A, if questions from the audience are pointed, if there are victims in the audience who accuse them ... That's what's makes this such a special festival because those seminal moments that will never be repeated again are happening right here in our city and history can be made," Twomey said.