Nate Parker's new movie 'American Skin' explores race, family, policing

LOS ANGELES -- There is a new movie heading to on-demand involving a young Black man killed by a white police officer. It was filmed almost two years ago before the deaths of George Floyd and others that culminated in the Black Lives Matter demonstrations of last summer.

"American Skin" tells the story of a Black teenager shot to death by a white LAPD officer during a traffic stop in an affluent neighborhood.

Nate Parker directs and stars in "American Skin." He had no trouble assembling his cast.

"We knew we needed to be a part of it," said Omari Hardwick. "And it's so ironic because we did it so long ago."

"We were in 2019 and we were still making a film about something that, in 2021, is still quite relevant," said Sierra Capri.

"So all of these issues are just making this movie even stronger, showing us the differences in race, in police versus people, people versus people," said Vanessa Bell Calloway. "It's bringing up a lot of topics that we have to examine and how can we make things different, how can we make it better."

"We want to change the world through our work, you know, and we were all there for a common goal: to save lives and create this dialogue," said Shane Paul McGhie.

In the film, Parker's character kidnaps the chief of police and then storms into the police station - firing shots along the way, determined to get answers for the death of his son.

"He painted this beautiful Basquiat, if you will," said Hardwick. "And everybody's going to look at a Basquiat so differently."

"This blurs the line. We're having a conversation about art but technically, we're having a conversation about the world, surely having a conversation about the United States," said Theo Rossi.

"American Skin" is available on-demand beginning Friday.