“My response to the performance when I saw it was that, regardless of how he may or may not change your perception of the original film…he does a great job of providing a model for how we can intelligently review cultural objects,” she says.

Rivers also invokes the awareness that the project can raise in regards to human rights abuses. She says that Rebirth, “could be inspiring to all the artists, activists, and artists-cum-activists in the audience to see how effective avant-garde art and music can be as a political tool.”

Thomas Lee, program manager for the OFA’s Learning from Performers series, agrees, and encourages students to see Rebirth for both aesthetic and political reasons. He says, “Harvard students should be exposed to all different kinds of art—art that is thought-provoking, challenging, maybe life-changing.”

Paul Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid will be performing Rebirth of a Nation at Sanders Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are available now through the Harvard Box Office.

—Staff writer Emily G.W. Chau can be reached at egchau@fas.harvard.edu.