Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs didn't want to speak on Nate Parker's personal issues, but she was adamant about one thing: People should see The Birth of a Nation.
Although Isaacs admitted to TMZ that she hadn't seen the movie yet, she stated, "I know just by the conversation that has gone on at Sundance that it's clearly a movie that filmgoers should go and see."
TMZ's reporter tried to get her to comment on Parker's rape case from 1999, but she wouldn't go there.
"That's one issue; that's his personal issue. And then there's the issue of the movie," Boone said, adding, "The important thing is for people to see it and enjoy the film, be impressed by the film. And I think that is what is very important. People need to see this movie."
Boone continued to go on to encourage people to see the movie but wouldn't say if she thought the rape case would have any effect on the turnout. "Now you're making a guess about the possibility," she said. "This is my belief, is that people need to see the movie and judge the movie."
Since Boone is president of the academy, which presents the Oscars, it was silly for the reporter to think that she would comment about the case. But there's one thing that's certain: There are other ways to learn about Nat Turner besides a movie. There are these things called books, as well as the Turner archives, which are housed at the University of North Carolina. And you can read them here and here, because the only people who stand to make any more money off the movie are the folks at the movie studio.