Rising film star Nate Parker pens emotional rape case response

NATE PARKER is a rising star of Hollywood. But attention has moved from his acting to rape allegations from his college days.

Nate Parker is the writer, director and star of TV show Birth of a Nation.

NATE PARKER should be on cloud nine.

His film, Birth of a Nation, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in, was a hit at Sundance Film Festival — so much so that Fox Searchlight purchased it for a record $US17.5 million ($22.7 million) after an all-night bidding war. It has been touted as an “Oscar frontrunner”.

But when you Google Parker’s name you’re not greeted with stories of his status as a rising star in Hollywood. You’re met with stories surrounding a rape accusation that first surfaced when he was a student at Penn State in 1999.

Sexual assault in US universities is a hot topic at the moment (largely due to the global outrage at the lenient sentence handed down to Stamford University student Brock Turner), and so Parker’s story has garnered a lot of media attention.

Brock Turner mugshot from night of initial arrest. Picture: Stanford University Department of Public Safety

In 1999 Parker and his college roommate (Birth of a Nation co-writer Jean Celestin) were charged with raping an 18-year old female in their apartment after a night of drinking.

In echoes of the Brock Turner case, the woman claimed she was unconscious at the time, while Parker and Celestin maintained that the encounter was consensual. She later said that she was stalked and harassed by the pair after she reported the incident.

Both men were suspended from the wrestling team, and Parker transferred to a different college in Oklahoma.

Parker was acquitted in a 2001 trial, in part because of testimony that he had consensual sex with the victim prior to the incident. The woman’s older brother Johnny told Variety “[Parker] may have litigated out of any kind of situation.

“My position is he got off on a technicality.”

FILE - In this April 14, 2016 file photo, Nate Parker, director of the upcoming film "The Birth of a Nation," accepts the Breakthrough Director of the Year award during the CinemaCon 2016 Big Screen Achievement Awards in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Celestin was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to six months of prison. He appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial in 2005, but the case never made it back to court after the victim declined to testify again.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the woman dropped out of school and received a settlement from Penn State of $US17,500 ($22,800).

She made several suicide attempts and died in 2012, age 30.

She took her own life at a drug rehabilitation facility, where she was found unresponsive by staff.

“She became detached from reality,” Johnny told Variety, asking not to use his last name to honour his sister’s wishes to remain anonymous.

“The progression was very quick and she took her life.

Her death certificate stated that she suffered from “major depressive disorder with psychotic features, PTSD due to physical and sexual abuse, polysubstance abuse….”

The brother believes that if the trial had been held today, there would have been a different verdict. “I think by today’s legal standards, a lot has changed with regards to universities and the laws in sexual assault,” he said.

“I feel certain if this were to happen in 2016, the outcome would be different than it was. Courts are a lot stricter about this kind of thing. You don’t touch someone who is so intoxicated — period.”

Nate Parker arrives at the Sundance NIGHT BEFORE NEXT Benefit at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

The release strategy for Parker’s film Birth of a Nation has come into question in light of the recent allegations. Variety reports that senior executives at Fox Searchlight are monitoring press reports about the case, and are debating whether it is still possible to release the movie with a roadshow that would have Parker travelling to churches and college campuses talking about social injustice, which was one of the conditions of the Sundance sale.

Parker is clearly feeling the pressure. In response to all the media attention today he penned an emotional Facebook post, under the topic “relationships”.

Here it is in full.

These are my words. Written from my heart and not filtered through a third party gaze. Please read these separate from any platform I may have, but from me as a fellow human being.

I write to you all devastated …

Over the last several days, a part of my past — my arrest, trial and acquittal on charges of sexual assault — has become a focal point for media coverage, social media speculation and industry conversation. I understand why so many are concerned and rightfully have questions. These issues of a women’s right to be safe and of men and women engaging in healthy relationships are extremely important to talk about, however difficult. And more personally, as a father, a husband, a brother and man of deep faith, I understand how much confusion and pain this incident has had on so many, most importantly the young woman who was involved.

I myself just learned that the young woman ended her own life several years ago and I am filled with profound sorrow … I can’t tell you how hard it is to hear this news. I can’t help but think of all the implications this has for her family.

I cannot- nor do I want to ignore the pain she endured during and following our trial. While I maintain my innocence that the encounter was unambiguously consensual, there are things more important than the law. There is morality; no one who calls himself a man of faith should even be in that situation. As a 36-year-old father of daughters and person of faith, I look back on that time as a teenager and can say without hesitation that I should have used more wisdom.

I look back on that time, my indignant attitude and my heartfelt mission to prove my innocence with eyes that are more wise with time. I see now that I may not have shown enough empathy even as I fought to clear my name. Empathy for the young woman and empathy for the seriousness of the situation I put myself and others in.

I cannot change what has happened. I cannot bring this young woman who was someone else’s daughter, someone’s sister and someone’s mother back to life …

I have changed so much since nineteen. I’ve grown and matured in so many ways and still have more learning and growth to do. I have tried to conduct myself in a way that honours my entire community — and will continue to do this to the best of my ability.

All of this said, I also know there are wounds that neither time nor words can heal.

I have never run from this period in my life and I never ever will. Please don’t take this as an attempt to solve this with a statement. I urge you only to take accept this letter as my response to the moment.

Nate

If you or someone you love is in crisis or needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.