Jill Smith was recently quoted in Tatiana Siegal and Ashley Cullins’ The Hollywood Reporter article “Toronto Film Buyers Beware:’Birth of a Nation’ Blowup Casts Shadow on Dealmaking.”
The article discusses how the controversy surrounding Nate Parker, co-writer, director, producer and star of “Birth of a Nation,” could impact future dealmaking. Some believe that Parker’s personal backstory should have been disclosed by Searchlight, and could harm the reputations of indie buyers. According to Jill, it is up to the distributors to find that type of information on their own.
“I don’t feel that any talent has the obligation to disclose their personal history unless they are specifically asked about it, particularly in an instance where someone was acquitted,” said Jill.
Click here to read the full article.