Lunchtime hikers at Runyon Canyon and executives in nearby Burbank, California, were greeted with a message in the sky above the Los Angeles area on Wednesday: “Nat Turner Lives.”
It’s likely no coincidence that Fox Searchlight’s controversial awards hopeful “The Birth of a Nation” opens in limited release on Friday — and the message might serve to underscore the film’s true purpose.
A 17-year-old rape case in which director, writer, producer and star Nate Parker was acquitted has largely stolen the spotlight from the slave-rebellion film — which tells of Nat Turner’s pre-Civil War uprising and brought this year’s Sundance Film Festival to its feet before it was sold to Searchlight for a historic $17.5 million.
Also Read: 'Birth of a Nation' Star Gabrielle Union Confronts Race, Rape and Then Some
Representatives for the studio and Parker did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment on their potential involvement in the skywriting. “Nat Turner Lives” has appeared on one-sheet posters for the film, spray painted over images of the 1915 D.W. Griffith film that was also called “The Birth of a Nation” and is known for its blatant racism.
Throughout promotion of the movie, Parker said he refused to “hijack” the attention that it deserved with details of his own personal life. His cast, such as “Birth” co-star Penelope Ann Miller, agreed with the sentiment.
“This is the Nat Turner story not the Nate Parker story,” the actress said defiantly at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
77 Eye-Popping Portraits From TheWrap's Toronto Film Festival Studio (Exclusive Photos)
Actor Gael García Bernal, "Neruda"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actors Gael García Bernal and Luis Gnecco, "Neruda"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Luis Gnecco, "Neruda"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Pablo Larraín and actor Gael García Bernal, "Neruda"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Holly Hunter , "Strange Weather"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Rami Malek, "Buster's Mal Heart"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Sarah Adina Smith and actor Rami Malek, "Buster's Mal Heart"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Sarah Adina Smith, "Buster's Mal Heart"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Ben Younger and actors Miles Teller and Aaron Eckhart , "Bleed for This"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Hisham Fageeh, "Barakah Meets Barakah"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Fatima Al Banawi, "Barakah Meets Barakah"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Mahmoud Sabbagh and Actors Hisham Fageeh and Fatima Al Banawi, "Barakah Meets Barakah"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Mahmoud Sabbagh, "Barakah Meets Barakah"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Angela Sarafyan, "The Promise"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo , "The Promise"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Marwan Kenzari, "The Promise"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Jarkko Lahti and Director Juho Kuosmanen, "The Happiest Day in the Life of Ali Maki"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Sônia Braga, "Aquarius"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Kleber Mendonça Filho and actress Sônia Braga, "Aquarius"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Ryan Gosling and director Damien Chazelle , "La La Land"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Damien Chazelle , "La La Land"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Riley Keough , "American Honey"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Sasha Lane, "American Honey"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actors Raymond Coalson, Sasha Lane, Riley Keough and McCaul Lombardi "American Honey"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Morgan Spurlock , "Rats"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Morgan Spurlock and Producer "Rats"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Producer Jeremy Chilnick, "Rats"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Chan-Wook Park, "The Handmaiden"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Adam Leon and actors Grace Van Patten, Michal Vondel and Callum Turner, "Tramps"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Grace Van Patten, "Tramps"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Callum Turner, "Tramps"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Michal Vondel, "Tramps"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Adam Leon, "Tramps"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Claude Barras, "My Life As A Zucchini"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director and actor Nick Cannon , "King of the Dancehall"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Natalie Portman , "Planetarium" and "Jackie"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Natalie Portman , "Planetarium" and "Jackie"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Lily-Rose Depp, "Planetarium"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Emmanuel Salinger, "Planetarium"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Rebecca Zlotowski, "Planetarium"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Rebecca Zlotowski with actors Natalie Portman , Emmanuel Salinger and Lily-Rose Depp, "Planetarium"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Jeffrey Tambor , "Transparent"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Gaby Hoffman, "Transparent"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor Jay Duplass , "Transparent"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Amy Landecker , "Transparent"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Kathryn Hahn , "Transparent"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Creator Jill Soloway , "Transparent"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Isabelle Huppert and director Mia Hansen-Løve, "Things to Come"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Isabelle Huppert, "Things to Come"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director-producer Fisher Stevens, "Before the Flood"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor and director Ewan McGregor , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor and director Ewan McGregor , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor and director Ewan McGregor , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Jennifer Connelly , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Jennifer Connelly , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Jennifer Connelly , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Uzo Aduba, "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Uzo Aduba, "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Dakota Fanning , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Dakota Fanning , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Producers Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi , "American Pastoral"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actress Fan BingBing and Director Xiaogang Feng, "I Am Not Madame Bovary"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Xiaogang Feng and actress Fan Bingbing , "I Am Not Madame Bovary"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actors Guo Tao, Dong Chengpeng, director Xiaogang Feng and actress Fan Bingbing , "I Am Not Madame Bovary"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Oliver Stone , "Snowden"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor David Oyelowo , "United Kingdom"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Actor David Oyelowo , "United Kingdom"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Amma Asante , "United Kingdom"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
Director Amma Asante , "United Kingdom"
Photographed by Geneviève Caron (FH Studio) for TheWrap at The Thompson Toronto
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Toronto 2016: Ryan Gosling, David Oyelowo, Miles Teller and Natalie Portman are among the stars who stopped by TheWrap’s studio at The Thompson Toronto
