Birth of a Nation was a thought provoking and at times harrowing tale of life at an English comprehensive school. Made for TV in 1982 the film starred Jim Broadbent as teacher Geoff Figg. Scripted by David Leland and directed by Mike Newell, the film was part of a series titled "Tales Out Of School", which included R.H.I.N.O.; Really Here in Name Only, Flying Into The Wind and the Tim Roth film Made in Britain. James Broadbent (born May 24, 1949) is an Academy Award-winning English theatre, film and television actor. ... David Leland (born April 20, 1947 in Cambridge, England, UK) is a British director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directional debut Wish You Were Here in 1987. ... Michael Cormac Newell (born March 28, 1942) is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for television. ... Tim Roth (born 14 May 1961 as Timothy Simon Smith) is an Academy Award-nominated English film actor and director. ... Made in Britain is a state-of-the-nation style short film (70 minutes) directed by Alan Clarke and written by David Leland. ...