Already one of the hot-button movies set to come out in theaters this year, the first trailer has arrived for 2016 Sundance Film Festival champ and daringly titled The Birth of a Nation. The period drama was co-written, directed and stars Nate Parker (Beyond the Lights). The drama, centering around a slave revolt in 1831, hit Sundance right in the thick of the #OscarsSoWhite backlash and, in a flash, took over Park City. In the process, the film swept the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award and was picked up by Fox Searchlight in historic fashion.

In the film, Parker portrays Nat Turner, a former slave and preacher who led a rebellion in the antebellum South. Jean McGianni Celestin co-wrote the screenplay with Parker. The film features an impressive ensemble cast that includes Gabrielle Union (Top Five), Aunjanue Ellis (The Help), Aja Naomi King (The Re-write), Armie Hammer (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children), Mark Boone Junior (Life of Crime) and Penelope Ann Miller (The Artist).

Fox Searchlight will open the film wide on October 7th, a release date similar to that of their previous Oscar victor 12 Years a Slave. Check out the teaser trailer below.