Fox Searchlight just released the first trailer for Sundance darling The Birth of a Nation ahead of its October release. Here, those who couldn't attend the festival this year can see director Nate Parker's searing depiction of Nat Turner's slave rebellion of 1831. Nina Simone's rendition of "Strange Fruit" plays in the background as we observe plantation life, all before the uprising explodes.

The Birth of a Nation, which took home both the Audience Award and Jury Award at the festival, set a record for the biggest deal in Sundance history after Fox Searchlight paid $17.5 million for the worldwide distribution rights. The purchase came at the height of the #OscarsSoWhite conversation that highlighted the lack of diversity in Hollywood. The Birth of a Nation hits theaters on October 7th.