The Birth of a Nation, directed by D. W. Griffith, premiered to a captivated audience at the Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles. This groundbreaking film was notable for its innovative storytelling techniques and was one of the first feature-length films in American history. Spanning over three hours, the film was adapted from the novel The Klansman by Thomas Dixon Jr. and dramatized the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era, focusing on the lives of two families, the Camerons from the South and the Stonemans from the North. While technically advanced, with its elaborate battle scenes and pioneering use of narrative, the film's content was vehemently controversial. It presented the Ku Klux Klan as heroic figures, portraying African Americans in derogatory and simplistic roles, thus reinforcing existing racial prejudices. The film's release generated considerable backlash, leading to protests from civil rights activists and the emergence of the NAACP, which worked tirelessly to combat the film's widespread distribution. The controversies surrounding its portrayal of African Americans ignited a national conversation about race relations in America and the responsibility of filmmakers in shaping societal views. Despite the protests, the film became a commercial success and brought significant attention to Griffith's cinematic techniques, which influenced the film industry for years to come.