2015 marks the centenary of the release of the controversial, yet extremely significant american silent epic, the birth of a nation, by d.w. Griffith. Griffith is often considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of cinema having been credited with creating and perfecting cinematic devices such as the flash back, the iris shot, the mask and cross cutting.the birth of a nation covers a period of several years and is centered on the relationship of two families during the civil war and reconstruction us era. Dividing friends and destroying families, the civil war is minor in its disruption compared to the anarchy which follows in the black ruled south post war. The film was released to great commercial success, being one of the highest grossing films of the silent era, but was widely debated and often condemned due to its portrayal of the ku klux klan as a heroic force. The film is attributed to launching the career of lillian gish, who worked closely with griffith for many years, and who was also known as 'the first lady of american cinema'.extrastwo short films by d w griffith the rose of kentucky 1911 and the coward 1911the drummer of the 8th 1913 short film starring future oscar winning frank borzage a farewell to armsstolen glory 1912 a comedy starring ford sterling filmed against the backdrop of a parade of union civil war veterans1930 re release title sequence and short archival introduction by d w griffithphotoplay orchestral recording sessionsout takes and original camera testsd w griffith on lux radio theatrebfi southbank roundtable discussion 2015a personal appreciation of birth of a nation by film scholar melvyn stokesfully illustrated booklet with news essays and full creditscast and crew directed by d w griffith intolerance, orphans of the stormcast lillian gish duel in the sun, the comedians