The Birth of a Nation (also known as The Clansman) is one of the most influential an controversial films in the history of American cinema. Set during and after the American Civil War and directed by D. W. Griffith, the film was based on Thomas Dixon's The Clansman, a novel and play, and was released on February 8, 1915. The Birth of a Nation is important in film history for its innovative technical and narrative achievements, and for its status as the first Hollywood "blockbuster." It has provoked great controversy, both in its own day and today, for its promotion of white supremacism and glorification of the Ku Klux Klan.