12 Years a Slave ( film ) - Wikipedia 12 Years a Slave ( film ) 12 Years a Slave Theatrical release poster Directed by Steve McQueen Produced by Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Bill Pohlad Steve McQueen Arnon Milchan Anthony Katagas Screenplay by John Ridley Based on Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor Michael Fassbender Benedict Cumberbatch Paul Dano Paul Giamatti Lupita Nyong'o Sarah Paulson Brad Pitt Alfre Woodard Music by Hans Zimmer Cinematography Sean Bobbitt Edited by Joe Walker Production companies Summit Entertainment Regency Enterprises River Road Entertainment Plan B Entertainment New Regency Productions Film4 Productions Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures ( North America ) Lionsgate / Summit Entertainment ( International ) Release date August 30, 2013 ( 2013 - 08 - 30 ) ( Telluride Film Festival ) November 8, 2013 ( 2013 - 11 - 08 ) ( United States ) January 10, 2014 ( 2014 - 01 - 10 ) ( United Kingdom ) Running time 134 minutes Country United States United Kingdom Language English Budget $20 -- 22 million Box office $187.7 million 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 period drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave narrative memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, a New York State - born free African - American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. Northup was put to work on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before being released. The first scholarly edition of Northup 's memoir, co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon, carefully retraced and validated the account and concluded it to be accurate. Other characters in the film were also real people, including Edwin and Mary Epps, and Patsey. The film was directed by Steve McQueen. The screenplay was written by John Ridley. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup. Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, and Alfre Woodard are all featured in supporting roles. Principal photography took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from June 27 to August 13, 2012. The locations used were four historic antebellum plantations : Felicity, Bocage, Destrehan, and Magnolia. Of the four, Magnolia is nearest to the actual plantation where Northup was held. 12 Years a Slave was named the best film of 2013 by several media outlets. It proved to be a box office success, earning over $187 million on a production budget of $22 million. The film won three Academy Awards : Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Nyong'o, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ridley. The Best Picture win made McQueen the first black British producer to ever receive the award and the first black British director of a Best Picture winner. The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture -- Drama, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized it with the Best Film and the Best Actor award for Ejiofor. 12 Years a Slave was later named the 44th greatest film since 2000 in a BBC poll of 177 critics. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Development 3.2 Filming 3.3 Design 3.4 Music 4 Historical accuracy 5 Release 5.1 Initial screenings 5.2 Marketing 5.3 Home media 6 Reception 6.1 Box office 6.2 Critical response 6.3 Accolades 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Plot In 1841, Solomon Northup is a free African - American man working as a violinist, living with his wife and two children in Saratoga Springs, New York. Two white men, Brown and Hamilton, offer him short - term employment as a musician if he will travel with them to Washington, D.C. However, once they arrive they drug Northup and deliver him to a slave pen run by a man named Burch. Northup proclaims that he is a free man, only to be savagely beaten with a wooden paddle and then a leather belt. Northup is later shipped to New Orleans along with other captive African Americans. He is told by the others that if he wants to survive in the South, he must adapt to being a slave and not tell anyone he is a free man. A slave trader named Freeman gives Northup the identity of `` Platt '', a runaway slave from Georgia, and sells him to plantation owner William Ford. Tension grows between Northup and a plantation overseer which ends with Northup savagely beating and whipping the overseer. To save Northup 's life, Ford sells him to another slave owner named Edwin Epps. In the process, Northup attempts to explain that he is actually a free man, but Ford tells him he is too afraid and that he can not help him now. At the plantation, Northup meets Patsey, a favored slave who can pick over 500 pounds of cotton a day, twice the usual quota, whom Epps regularly rapes and abuses. Sometime later, cotton worms destroy Epps 's cotton. Unable to work his fields, Epps leases his slaves to a neighboring plantation for the season. While there, Northup gains the favor of the plantation 's owner, Judge Turner, who allows him to play the fiddle at a neighbor 's wedding anniversary celebration and to keep his earnings. When Northup returns to Epps, he uses the money to pay a white field hand and former overseer, Armsby, to mail a letter to his friends in New York. Armsby agrees and accepts Northup 's saved money, but immediately betrays him to Epps. In the middle of the night, a drunken Epps wakes Northup and questions him menacingly about the letter. Northup is narrowly able to convince Epps that Armsby is lying and Epps relents. Northup begins working on the construction of a gazebo with a Canadian laborer named Samuel Bass. Bass is unsettled by the brutal way that Epps treats his slaves and expresses his opposition to American slavery, earning Epps 's enmity. Northup overhears the conversation and decides to reveal his kidnapping to Bass. Once again, Northup asks for help in getting a letter to Saratoga Springs. Bass agrees to send it. One day, the local sheriff arrives in a carriage with another man. The sheriff asks Northup a series of questions to confirm that his answers match the facts of his life in New York. Northup recognizes the sheriff 's companion as Mr. Parker, a shopkeeper he knew in Saratoga. Parker has come to free him, and the two embrace, though an enraged Epps furiously protests the circumstances and tries to prevent Northup from leaving. Northup gives an emotional farewell to Patsey and rides off to his freedom. Patsey faints as Northup leaves. After being enslaved for 12 years, Northup is restored to freedom and returned to his family, leaving behind the other slaves. As he walks into his home, he sees his wife with their son and daughter ( fully grown ) and her husband, who present him with his grandson and namesake, Solomon Northup Staunton. Northup apologizes for his long absence while his family comforts him. The film 's epilogue displays a series of graphics recounting Northup 's unsuccessful suits against Brown, Hamilton, and Burch, along with the 1853 publication of Northup 's slave narrative memoir, Twelve Years a Slave. The memoir describes his role in the abolitionist movement and the mystery surrounding details of his death and burial. Patsey and Northup never met again. Cast Alfre Woodard at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup / Platt Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey Sarah Paulson as Mary Epps Paul Dano as John Tibeats Benedict Cumberbatch as William Ford Alfre Woodard as Mistress Harriet Shaw Adepero Oduye as Eliza Garret Dillahunt as Armsby Scoot McNairy as Merrill Brown Taran Killam as Abram Hamilton Christopher Berry as Burch Chris Chalk as Clemens Ray Paul Giamatti as Theophilus Freeman Brad Pitt as Samuel Bass Michael K. Williams as Robert Bryan Batt as Judge Turner Bill Camp as Ebenezer Radburn Tom Proctor as Biddee Jay Huguley as Sheriff Storm Reid as Emily Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry have small roles as Margaret Northup and Uncle Abram, respectively. Production Development John Ridley at the 2013 San Diego Film Festival After meeting screenwriter John Ridley at a Creative Artists Agency screening of Hunger in 2008, director Steve McQueen got in touch with Ridley about his interest in making a film about `` the slave era in America '' with `` a character that was not obvious in terms of their trade in slavery. '' Developing the idea back and forth, the two did not strike a chord until McQueen 's partner, Bianca Stigter, found Solomon Northup 's 1853 memoir Twelve Years a Slave. McQueen later told an interviewer : I read this book, and I was totally stunned. At the same time, I was pretty upset with myself that I did n't know this book. I live in Amsterdam where Anne Frank is a national hero, and for me, this book read like Anne Frank 's diary but written 97 years before -- a firsthand account of slavery. I basically made it my passion to make this book into a film. After a lengthy development process, during which Brad Pitt 's production company Plan B Entertainment backed the project, which eventually helped get some financing from various film studios, the film was officially announced in August 2011 with McQueen to direct and Chiwetel Ejiofor to star as Solomon Northup, a free African - American who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. McQueen compared Ejiofor 's conduct `` of class and dignity '' to that of Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. In October 2011, Michael Fassbender ( who starred in McQueen 's previous films Hunger and Shame ) joined the cast. In early 2012, the rest of the roles were cast, and filming was scheduled to begin at the end of June 2012. To capture the language and dialects of the era and regions in which the film takes place, dialect coach Michael Buster assisted the cast in altering their speech. The language has a literary quality related to the style of writing of the day and the strong influence of the King James Bible. Buster explained : We do n't know what slaves sounded like in the 1840s, so I just used rural samples from Mississippi and Louisiana ( for actors Ejiofor and Fassbender ). Then for Benedict ( Cumberbatch ), I found some real upper - class New Orleanians from the ' 30s. And then I also worked with Lupita Nyong'o, who is Kenyan but she did her training at Yale. So she really shifted her speech so she could do American speech. After both won Oscars at the 86th Academy Awards, it was reported that McQueen and Ridley had been in an ongoing feud over screenplay credit. McQueen reportedly had asked Ridley for shared credit, which he declined. McQueen appealed to Fox Searchlight, which sided with Ridley. Neither thanked the other during their respective acceptance speeches at the event. Since the event, Ridley has noted his regret for not mentioning McQueen and denied the feud. He spoke favorably of working with McQueen, and explained that his sole screenplay credit was due to the rules of the Writers Guild of America. McQueen has not commented on the alleged feud. Filming Director Steve McQueen at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival With a production budget of $22 million, principal photography began in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 27, 2012. After seven weeks, filming concluded on August 13, 2012. As a way to keep down production costs, a bulk of the filming took place around the greater New Orleans area -- mostly south of the Red River country in the north of the state, where the historic Northup was enslaved. Among locations used were four historic antebellum plantations : Felicity, Bocage, Destrehan, and Magnolia. Magnolia, a plantation in Schriever, Louisiana, is just a few miles from one of the historic sites where Northup was held. `` To know that we were right there in the place where these things occurred was so powerful and emotional, '' said actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. `` That feeling of dancing with ghosts -- it 's palpable. '' Filming also took place at the Columns Hotel and Madame John 's Legacy in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, the film 's primary camera operator, shot 12 Years a Slave on 35 mm film with a 2.35 : 1 widescreen aspect ratio using both an Arricam LT and ST. `` Particularly for a period piece, film gives the audience a definite sense of period and quality, '' said Bobbitt. `` And because of the story 's epic nature, widescreen clearly made the most sense. Widescreen means a big film, an epic tale -- in this case an epic tale of human endurance. '' The filmmakers avoided the desaturated visual style that is typical of a more gritty documentary aesthetic. Deliberately drawing visual comparisons in the filming to the works of Spanish painter Francisco Goya, McQueen explained : When you think about Goya, who painted the most horrendous pictures of violence and torture and so forth, and they 're amazing, exquisite paintings, one of the reasons they 're such wonderful paintings is because what he 's saying is, ' Look -- look at this. ' So if you paint it badly or put it in the sort of wrong perspective, you draw more attention to what 's wrong with the image rather than looking at the image. Design To accurately depict the time period of the film, the filmmakers conducted extensive research that included studying artwork from the era. With eight weeks to create the wardrobe, costume designer Patricia Norris collaborated with Western Costume to compile costumes that would illustrate the passage of time while also being historically accurate. Using an earth tone color palette, Norris created nearly 1,000 costumes for the film. `` She ( Norris ) took earth samples from all three of the plantations to match the clothes, '' McQueen said, `` and she had the conversation with Sean ( Bobbitt ) to deal with the character temperature on each plantation, there was a lot of that minute detail. '' The filmmakers also used some pieces of clothing discovered on set that were worn by slaves. Music Main articles : 12 Years a Slave ( score ) and 12 Years a Slave ( soundtrack ) The musical score to 12 Years a Slave was composed by Hans Zimmer, with original on - screen violin music written and arranged by Nicholas Britell and performed by Tim Fain. The film also features a few pieces of western classical and American folk music such as Franz Schubert 's `` Trio in B - flat, D471 '' and John and Alan Lomax 's arrangement of `` Run, Nigger, Run ''. A soundtrack album, Music from and Inspired by 12 Years a Slave, was released digitally on November 5 and received a physical format release on November 11, 2013, by Columbia Records. In addition to Zimmer 's score, the album features music inspired by the film by artists such as John Legend, Laura Mvula, Alicia Keys, Chris Cornell, and Alabama Shakes. Legend 's cover of `` Roll, Jordan, Roll '' debuted online three weeks prior to the soundtrack 's release. Historical accuracy African - American history and culture scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was a consultant on the film, and researcher David Fiske, co-author of Solomon Northup : The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave, provided some material used to market the film. Nevertheless, news and magazine articles around the time of the film 's release described a scholar alleging some license that Northup could have taken with his book, and liberties that McQueen definitely took with Northup 's original, for dramatic, modernizing, or other reasons. Scott Feinberg wrote in The Hollywood Reporter about a September 22 New York Times article that `` dredged up and highlighted a 1985 essay by another scholar, James Olney, that questioned the ' literal truth ' of specific incidents in Northup 's account and suggested that David Wilson, the white amanuensis to whom Northup had dictated his story, had taken the liberty of sprucing it up to make it even more effective at rallying public opinion against slavery. '' According to Olney, when abolitionists invited an ex-slave to share his experience in slavery at an antislavery convention, and when they subsequently funded the appearance of that story in print, `` they had certain clear expectations, well understood by themselves and well understood by the ex-slave, too. '' Noah Berlatsky wrote in The Atlantic about a scene in McQueen 's adaptation. Shortly after Northup 's kidnapping, he is sent on a slave ship. One of the sailors attempts to rape a female slave, but is stopped by a male slave. `` The sailor unhesitatingly stabs and kills ( the male slave ), '' he wrote, stating that `` this seems unlikely on its face -- slaves are valuable, and the sailor is not the owner. And, sure enough, the scene is not in the book. '' Forrest Wickman of Slate wrote of Northup 's book giving a more favorable account of the author 's onetime master, William Ford, than the McQueen film. In Northup 's own words, `` There never was a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford, '' adding that Ford 's circumstances `` blinded ( Ford ) to the inherent wrong at the bottom of the system of Slavery. '' The movie, however, according to Wickham, `` frequently undermines Ford. '' McQueen undercuts Christianity itself as well, in an effort to update the ethical lessons from Northup 's story for the 21st century, by holding the institutions of Christianity up to the light for their ability to justify slavery at the time. Northup was a Christian of his time, writing of his former master being `` blinded '' by `` circumstances '' that in retrospect meant a racist acceptance of slavery despite being a Christian, a position untenable to Christians now and to Christian abolitionists of the 19th century but not contradictory to Northup himself. Valerie Elverton Dixon in The Washington Post characterized the Christianity depicted in the movie as `` broken ''. Emily West, an associate professor of history at the University of Reading who specializes in the history of slavery in the U.S., said she had `` never seen a film represent slavery so accurately ''. Reviewing the film for History Extra, the website of BBC History Magazine, she said : `` The film starkly and powerfully unveiled the sights and sounds of enslavement -- from slaves picking cotton as they sang in the fields, to the crack of the lash down people 's backs. We also heard a lot about the ideology behind enslavement. Masters such as William Ford and Edwin Epps, although very different characters, both used an interpretation of Christianity to justify their ownership of slaves. They believed the Bible sanctioned slavery, and that it was their ' Christian duty ' to preach the scriptures to their slaves. '' Release Initial screenings Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o at the 2013 New York Film Festival 12 Years a Slave premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2013 ; it was later screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, the New York Film Festival on October 8, the New Orleans Film Festival on October 10, and the Philadelphia Film Festival on October 19. On November 15, 2011, Summit Entertainment announced it had secured a deal to distribute 12 Years a Slave to international markets. In April 2012, a few weeks before principal photography, New Regency Productions agreed to co-finance the film. Because of a distribution pact between 20th Century Fox and New Regency, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired the film 's United States distribution rights. However, instead of paying for the distribution rights, Fox Searchlight made a deal in which it would share box - office proceeds with the financiers of the independently financed film. 12 Years a Slave was commercially released on October 18, 2013 in the United States for a limited release of 19 theaters, with a wide release in subsequent weeks. The film was initially scheduled to be released in late December 2013, but `` some exuberant test screenings '' led to the decision to move up the release date. The film was distributed by Entertainment One in the United Kingdom. Marketing Due to both the film 's explicit nature and award contender status, 12 Years a Slave 's financial success was being watched closely. Many analysts compared the film 's content to other drama films of a similar vein such as Schindler 's List ( 1993 ) and The Passion of the Christ ( 2004 ), which became box office successes despite their respective subject matters. `` It may be a tough subject matter, but when handled well... films that are tough to sit through can still be commercially successful, '' said Phil Contrino of Boxoffice Magazine. Despite its content, the film 's critical success has assisted its domestic distribution by Fox Searchlight that began with a limited released aimed primarily towards art house and African - American patrons. The film 's release was gradually widened in subsequent weeks, similarly to how the studio had successfully done in years prior with films such as Black Swan and The Descendants. International release dates for 12 Years a Slave were largely delayed to early 2014 in order to take advantage of the attention created by awards seasons. During its marketing campaign, 12 Years a Slave received unpaid endorsements by celebrities such as Kanye West and P. Diddy. In a video posted by Revolt, Combs urged viewers to see 12 Years a Slave by stating : `` This movie is very painful but very honest, and is a part of the healing process. I beg all of you to take your kids, everybody to see it... You have to see this so you can understand, so you can just start to understand. '' Home Media Following its cinematic release in theaters, the Region 1 Code widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on March 4, 2014. Special features for the DVD include ; a Closed Caption option, The Team - Meet the creative minds assembled by Director Steve McQueen and bring Solomon Northup 's journey to life bonus selection, and The Score - Follow film Composer Hans Zimmer creating his dramatic score feature. In supplemental fashion, a widescreen hi - definition Blu - ray Disc version of the film was also released on the same day. Special features include ; a historical portrait from Director Steve McQueen 's documentary feature, cast and crew interviews, The Team special feature, and The Score selection. An additional viewing option for the film in the media format of Video on demand has been made available as well. Reception Box Office 12 Years a Slave earned $187.7 million, including $56.7 million in the United States. During its opening limited release in the United States, 12 Years a Slave debuted with a weekend total of $923,715 on 19 screens for a $48,617 per - screen average. The following weekend, the film entered the top ten after expanding to 123 theatres and grossing an additional $2.1 million. It continued to improve into its third weekend, grossing $4.6 million at 410 locations. The film release was expanded to over 1,100 locations on November 8, 2013. In 2014, 12 Years a Slave was the 10th most - illegally downloaded movie, with 23.653 million such downloads, according to Variety. Critical response Brad Pitt at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave 12 Years a Slave was praised for its acting ( particularly by Ejiofor, Fassbender, Nyong'o, and Paulson ), Ridley 's screenplay, McQueen 's direction, the production values, and its faithfulness to Solomon Northup 's account. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 96 % of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 338 reviews with an average score of 8.9 / 10, with the site 's consensus stating, `` It 's far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave 's unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant -- and quite possibly essential -- cinema. '' Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 96 out of 100 based on 56 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be `` universal acclaim ''. It is currently one of the site 's highest - rated films, as well as the best - reviewed film of 2013. CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film an `` A '' grade. Richard Corliss of TIME wrote : `` McQueen 's film is closer in its storytelling particulars to such 1970s exploitation - exposés of slavery as Mandingo and Goodbye, Uncle Tom. Except that McQueen is not a schlockmeister sensationalist but a remorseless artist ''. Corliss draws parallels with Nazi Germany, saying, `` McQueen shows that racism, aside from its barbarous inhumanity, is insanely inefficient. It can be argued that Nazi Germany lost the war both because it diverted so much manpower to the killing of Jews and because it did not exploit the brilliance of Jewish scientists in building smarter weapons. So the slave owners dilute the energy of their slaves by whipping them for sadistic sport and, as Epps does, waking them at night to dance for his wife 's cruel pleasure. '' Gregory Ellwood of HitFix gave the film an `` A - '' rating, stating, `` 12 Years is a powerful drama driven by McQueen 's bold direction and the finest performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor 's career. '' He continued by praising the performances of Fassbender and Nyong'o, citing Nyong'o as `` the film 's breakthrough performance ( that ) may find Nyong'o making her way to the Dolby Theater next March ''. He also admired the film 's `` gorgeous '' cinematography and the musical score, as `` one of Hans Zimmer 's more moving scores in some time ''. Paul MacInnes of The Guardian scored the film five out of five stars, writing, `` Stark, visceral and unrelenting, 12 Years a Slave is not just a great film but a necessary one. '' Benedict Cumberbatch signing autographs at the premiere of the film at TIFF, September 2013 Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised it as `` a new movie landmark of cruelty and transcendence '' and as `` a movie about a life that gets taken away, and that 's why it lets us touch what life is ''. He also commented very positively about Ejiofor 's performance, while further stating, `` 12 Years a Slave lets us stare at the primal sin of America with open eyes, and at moments it is hard to watch, yet it 's a movie of such humanity and grace that at every moment, you feel you 're seeing something essential. It is Chiwetel Ejiofor 's extraordinary performance that holds the movie together, and that allows us to watch it without blinking. He plays Solomon with a powerful inner strength, yet he never soft - pedals the silent nightmare that is Solomon 's daily existence. '' Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, gave the film a four - star rating and said : `` you wo n't be able to tuck this powder keg in the corner of your mind and forget it. What we have here is a blistering, brilliant, straight - up classic. '' He later named the film the best movie of 2013. Manohla Dargis wrote, in her review for The New York Times, `` the genius of 12 Years a Slave is its insistence on banal evil, and on terror, that seeped into souls, bound bodies and reaped an enduring, terrible price ''. The Daily Telegraph 's Tim Robey granted the film a maximum score of five stars, stating that `` it 's the nobility of this remarkable film that pierces the soul '', while praising Ejiofor and Nyong'o's performances. Tina Hassannia of Slant Magazine said that `` using his signature visual composition and deafening sound design, Steve McQueen portrays the harrowing realism of Northup 's experience and the complicated relationships between master and slave, master and master, slave and slave, and so on ''. David Simon, the creator of the TV series The Wire, highly praised the movie, commenting that `` it marks the first time in history that our entertainment industry, albeit with international creative input, has managed to stare directly at slavery and maintain that gaze ''. The film, however, was not without its criticisms. Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice was more critical of the film. While praising Ejiofor 's work, she stated : `` It 's a picture that stays more than a few safe steps away from anything so dangerous as raw feeling. Even when it depicts inhuman cruelty, as it often does, it never compromises its aesthetic purity. '' Peter Malamud Smith of Slate criticized the story, saying, `` 12 Years a Slave is constructed as a story of a man trying to return to his family, offering every viewer a way into empathizing with its protagonist. Maybe we need a story framed on that individual scale in order to understand it. But it has a distorting effect all the same. We 're more invested in one hero than in millions of victims ; if we 're forced to imagine ourselves enslaved, we want to imagine ourselves as Northup, a special person who miraculously escaped the system that attempted to crush him. '' Describing this as `` the hero problem '', Malamud Smith concluded his review explaining, `` We can handle 12 Years a Slave. But do n't expect 60 Years a Slave any time soon. And 200 Years, Millions of Slaves ? Forget about it. '' Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club opined that McQueen is `` essentially tone - deaf when it comes to performance, and skirts by on casting ''. The film `` lacks a necessary emotional continuity. I do n't think it 's something the movie is denying in the way it intentionally denies so many other conventions ; it 's still structured around an ending that 's supposed to function as a release, but because it ca n't organize that sense of catharsis it so badly needs, it just feels as though McQueen is scurrying for an exit. Also : The cast is wildly uneven. '' At The Guardian, black Canadian author Orville Lloyd Douglas said he would not be seeing 12 Years a Slave, explaining : `` I 'm convinced these black race films are created for a white, liberal film audience to engender white guilt and make them feel bad about themselves. Regardless of your race, these films are unlikely to teach you anything you do n't already know. '' Timothy Sneed said in U.S. News & World Report the year after the film was released, `` Doubts still lingered about its ability to truly bring about a newfound racial consciousness among a national, mainstream audience... The film also was a period piece that featured a happy ending ushered in by a ' white savior ' in the form of Brad Pitt 's character. '' Accolades Main article : List of accolades received by 12 Years a Slave ( film ) 12 Years a Slave has received numerous awards and nominations. It earned three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture -- Drama. The film also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, while Ejiofor received the Best Actor award. In addition, the motion picture has been named as one of the best films of 2013 by various ongoing critics, appearing on 100 critics ' top - ten lists in which 25 had the film in their number - one spot. This is both the most of any film released in its production year. 1st -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone 1st -- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly 1st -- Tom Brook, BBC 1st -- Ann Hornaday, Washington Post 1st -- Eric Kohn, Indiewire 1st -- Manohla Dargis, New York Times 1st -- Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic 1st -- Scott MacDonald, The A.V. Club 1st -- TV Guide 1st -- Yahoo ! Movies 1st -- Jake Coyle, Associated Press 1st -- Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post 1st -- Brian D. Johnson, Maclean 's 1st -- Mike Scott, Times - Picayune 1st -- Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News 1st -- Katey Rich, Variety 1st -- Keith Phipps, The Dissolve 1st -- Rafer Guzmán, Newsday 1st -- Bob Fischbach, Omaha World - Herald 1st -- Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times 1st -- Bruce R. Miller, Sioux City Journal 1st -- Wesley Morris, Grantland 1st -- Genevieve Valentine, Philadelphia Weekly 1st -- David Chen, Slashfilm 2nd -- A.O. Scott, New York Times 2nd -- Lou Lumenick, New York Post 2nd -- Peter Debruge, Variety 2nd -- Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News 2nd -- Luke Wulfensmith, Freelance 2nd -- Sasha Stone, Awards Daily 2nd -- Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine 2nd -- Andrew O'Hehir, Salon 2nd -- James Rocchi, Cinephiled 2nd -- Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald 2nd -- Ty Burr, Boston Globe 2nd -- Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune 2nd -- Christopher Orr, The Atlantic 2nd -- Sam Adams, The A.V. Club 2nd -- Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2nd -- David Ehrlich, Film.com 2nd -- Film School Rejects 2nd -- Connie Ogle, Miami Herald 2nd -- Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News 2nd -- Joe Reid, The Wire 2nd - Andrew Saladino, NothingButFilm 3rd -- Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- David Denby, The New Yorker Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- Stephen Whitty, The Star - Ledger Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- James Verniere, Boston Herald Top 10 ( listed alphabetically, not ranked ) -- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times See also List of films featuring slavery Solomon Northup 's Odyssey, 1984 television film adaptation of the same source material List of black films of the 2010s References Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave ( 15 ) ''. Fox Searchlight Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 10, 2014. Jump up ^ `` 2013 Feature Film Production Report '' ( PDF ). Retrieved January 2, 2017. Jump up ^ Toplin, Robert Brent ( 1969 ). `` Twelve Years a Slave ( review ) ''. Civil War History. 15 ( 1 ) : 66. doi : 10.1353 / cwh. 1969.0065. Jump up ^ `` Sign of the times ''. The Hindu. Retrieved March 12, 2014. Jump up ^ Lacob, Jace ( March 2, 2014 ). `` ' 12 Years A Slave ' Wins Best Picture Oscar At 86th Annual Academy Awards ''. BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Baftas : Gravity and 12 Years a Slave share glory ''. BBC News. February 17, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The 21st Century 's 100 greatest films ''. BBC. August 23, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016. Jump up ^ Chitwood, Adam ( August 2, 2012 ). `` Set Photo Confirms Beasts of the Southern Wild Star Quvenzhane Wallis Has Joined Steve McQueen 's Twelve Years a Slave ''. Collider.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014. Jump up ^ Billington, Alex ( June 26, 2012 ). `` Beasts Star Dwight Henry Also in McQueen 's Twelve Years a Slave ''. Collider.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014. Jump up ^ Thompson, Anne ( October 16, 2013 ). `` John Ridley Talks Writing ' 12 Years a Slave ' and Directing Hendrix Biopic ' All Is by My Side ' ''. IndieWire. Snagfilms. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ `` ' 12 Years A Slave ' Was A Film That ' No One Was Making ' ''. NPR. October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff ( August 17, 2011 ). `` McQueen tallying ' 12 Years ' at Plan B ''. Variety. Jump up ^ Truitt, Brian ( June 18, 2013 ). `` First look : ' Twelve Years a Slave ' ''. USA Today. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin ( October 12, 2011 ). `` Duo team on ' Slave ' ''. Variety. Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff ( May 24, 2012 ). `` Thesps join McQueen 's ' Slave ' cast ''. Variety. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin ( June 5, 2012 ). `` Giamatti, Paulson join ' Slave ' ''. Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2013. Jump up ^ Scott, Mike ( October 28, 2013 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' : Five cool things to know about the New Orleans - shot historical epic ''. The Times - Picayune. Retrieved October 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Lytal, Cristy ( September 28, 2013 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' dialect coach Michael Buster speaks up ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Sneider, Jeff. `` Oscars : ' 12 Years a Slave ' Screenplay Rift Between Steve McQueen, John Ridley Boils Over ''. TheWrap. Retrieved March 3, 2014. Jump up ^ Sacks, Ethan ( March 10, 2014 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' screenwriter John Ridley : I regret not mentioning director Steve McQueen in Oscar speech ''. Daily News. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Child, Ben ( March 10, 2014 ). `` 12 Years a Slave 's John Ridley regrets not thanking Steve McQueen at Oscars ''. The Guardian. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Schmidlin, Charlie ( March 5, 2014 ). `` John Ridley Says He 's `` Grateful '' For Steve McQueen, Claims Feud With ' 12 Years A Slave ' Director Is Nonexistent ``. The Playlist. Indiewire. Retrieved March 13, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Walker, Tim ( March 4, 2014 ). `` ' 12 Years A Slave ' Oscar tarnished by feud over screenplay ''. The Independent. Retrieved March 13, 2014. Jump up ^ Gettell, Oliver ( March 10, 2014 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' writer John Ridley denies Steve McQueen feud ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2014. Jump up ^ Fuller, Graham ( April 10, 2012 ). `` Steve McQueen 's ' Twelve Years a Slave ' Set to Shine Light on Solomon Northup 's Ordeal ''. Art + Auction. Louise Blouin Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Scott, Mike ( May 3, 2012 ). `` Brad Pitt to shoot ' 12 Years a Slave ' adaptation in New Orleans ''. The Times - Picayune. Retrieved February 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Smith, Nigel M. ( August 13, 2012 ). `` ' Twelve Years a Slave ' Star Paul Giamatti Hints at What to Expect From Steve McQueen 's Next Project ''. indieWire. Retrieved February 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Horn, John ( October 18, 2013 ). `` Steve McQueen films ' 12 Years a Slave ' on familiar territory ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ Scott, Mike ( September 9, 2013 ). `` Following in the real footsteps of ' 12 Years a Slave ' figure Solomon Northup : Mike 's Movie Mailbag ''. The Times - Picayune. Retrieved October 25, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Sacks, Ethan ( October 13, 2013 ). `` No ordinary movie, ' 12 Years a Slave ' is a brutal and honest depiction of America 's gravest mistake ''. Daily News. New York. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Torbett, Melanie ( October 20, 2013 ). `` ' Twelve Years a Slave ' movie has Cenla roots ''. The Town Talk. Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Giardina, Carolyn ( October 17, 2013 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt : Not Letting the Audience Off the Hook ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Goldrich, Robert ( October 18, 2013 ). `` The Road To Oscar, Part 1 : Backstories on 12 Years A Slave And Nebraska ''. Shoot. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Desowitz, Bill ( October 18, 2013 ). `` Immersed in Movies : Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt Talks ' 12 Years a Slave ' ''. IndieWire. Snagfilms. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Goodsell, Luke ( October 17, 2013 ). `` Interview : Steve McQueen and Chiwetel Ejiofor talk 12 Years a Slave ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Cooper, Jennifer ( October 20, 2013 ). `` Oscar Watch : 5 Things to Know About 12 Years a Slave ''. E !. Retrieved November 3, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Pick of the Week : `` 12 Years A Slave '' ``. Costume Designers Guild. October 18, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013. Jump up ^ Abrams, Bryan ( October 8, 2013 ). `` The U.S. Premiere of 12 Years a Slave at the New York Film Festival ''. The Credits. Motion Picture Association of America. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013. Jump up ^ Marsh, Calum ( October 16, 2013 ). `` Director 's Cut : Steve McQueen ( ' 12 Years a Slave ' ) ''. film.com. Retrieved November 3, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Columbia Records to Release ' 12 Years a Slave ' Soundtrack ''. Film Music Reporter. October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) -- Soundtrack.Net ''. Soundtrack.net. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' Soundtrack Details ''. Film Music Reporter. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ Jagernauth, Kevin ( October 22, 2013 ). `` Inspired By ' 12 Years A Slave ' Soundtrack Features John Legend, Cody Chestnutt, Chris Cornell & More ''. IndieWire. Snagfilms. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` John Legend 's ' Roll Jordan Roll ' Debuts From ' 12 Years A Slave ' ''. Huffington Post. October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Cieply, Michael ( September 22, 2013 ). `` An Escape From Slavery, Now a Movie, Has Long Intrigued Historians ''. The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Feinberg, Scott ( October 23, 2013 ). `` Oscar Whisper Campaigns : The Slurs Against ' 12 Years, ' ' Captain Phillips, ' ' Gravity ' and ' The Butler ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Berlatsky, Noah ( October 28, 2013 ). `` How 12 Years a Slave Gets History Right : By Getting It Wrong ''. The Atlantic. Retrieved November 17, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Wickman, Forrest ( October 17, 2013 ). `` How Accurate Is 12 Years a Slave ? ''. Slate. Retrieved November 17, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Dixon, Valerie Elverton ( November 15, 2013 ). `` In 12 Years a Slave, a broken Christianity ''. The Washington Post. Jump up ^ `` Movies & TV : 12 Years a Slave ''. Christianity Today. October 18, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Historian at the Movies : 12 Years a Slave reviewed ''. History Extra. Retrieved January 13, 2014. Jump up ^ Hammond, Pete ( August 31, 2013 ). `` Telluride : ' 12 Years A Slave ' Ignites The Festival, But Fox Searchlight Plans To Take It Slow ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ Bailey, Cameron. `` 12 Years a Slave tiff.net ''. Toronto International Film Festival. Toronto International Film Festival Inc. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ Brooks, Brian ( August 30, 2013 ). `` McQueen 's `` 12 Years A Slave '' Will Have U.S. Debut at NYFF51 ``. Film Society of Lincoln Center. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` NOFF Announces Opening Closing Night Films ''. New Orleans Film Society. August 8, 2013. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014. Jump up ^ `` 22nd Philadelphia Film Festival Announces Film Additions and Scheduling Changes ''. Philadelphia Film Society. October 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ McNary, Dave ( November 15, 2011 ). `` Summit inks int'l deals on 2 pics ''. Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Masters, Kim ( October 27, 2013 ). `` Paramount, Brad Pitt Company Feuding Over ' 12 Years a Slave ' ( Exclusive ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Weston, Hillary ( March 28, 2013 ). `` Steve McQueen 's ' Twelve Years a Slave ' to be Released by Fox Searchlight This December ''. BlackBook. McCarthy, LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Horn, John ( October 25, 2013 ). `` Unflinching ' 12 Years a Slave ' poses monumental marketing challenge ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Where to see 12 Years a Slave ''. Fox Searchlight Pictures. October 2, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Fleming, Mike ( June 27, 2013 ). `` New Regency Moves ' 12 Years A Slave ' Up to an October 18 Platform Bow ''. Deadline Hollywood. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave ''. Uk.EOneFilms.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015. Jump up ^ Ryan, Joal ( October 18, 2013 ). `` 12 Years a Slave Could Win Best Picture, but About the Box Office... '' E !. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Horn, John ( October 29, 2013 ). `` In first wider weekend, ' 12 Years a Slave ' reaches key audiences ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Cunningham, Todd ( October 17, 2013 ). `` Can ' 12 Years a Slave ' Translate Oscar Buzz into Box Office ? ''. TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Cieply, Michael ( October 28, 2013 ). `` The International Fate of ' 12 Years ' : Steve McQueen 's Film Is a Box - Office Test Case ''. The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Kaufman, Amy ( October 23, 2013 ). `` Like Kanye West, Sean ' Diddy ' Combs backs ' 12 Years a Slave ' ( Video ) ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ Lewis, Hilary ( October 24, 2013 ). `` Diddy Praises ' 12 Years a Slave ' : ' The Truth Has Finally Almost Been Told ' ( Video ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave - DVD Widescreen ''. Barnes & Noble. Retrieved January 10, 2016. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave Blu - Ray ''. Barnes & Noble. Retrieved January 10, 2016. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave Instant Video Format ''. Amazon.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016. Jump up ^ Subers, Ray ( October 20, 2013 ). `` Weekend Report : ' Gravity ' Wins Again, ' Carrie ' Leads Weak Newcomers ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 28, 2014. Jump up ^ Mendelson, Scott ( October 27, 2013 ). `` Weekend Box Office : ' Jackass : Bad Grandpa ' Tops With $32 Million ''. Forbes. Forbes publishing. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Subers, Ray ( November 3, 2013 ). `` Weekend Report : ' Ender ' Wins Box Office ' Game, ' ' Thor ' Mighty Overseas ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 3, 2013. Jump up ^ Todd Spangler ( December 28, 2014 ). `` Top 20 Most Pirated Movies of 2014 Led by ' Wolf of Wall Street, ' ' Frozen, ' ' Gravity ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2015. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 27, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave Reviews ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 27, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Specialty Box Office : ' 12 Years A Slave ' Triumphs In Limited Debut ; ' All Is Lost, ' ' Kill Your Darlings ' Open Solid ''. Deadline Hollywood. October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Corliss, Richard ( September 9, 2013 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' and ' Mandela ' : Two Tales of Racism Survived ''. TIME. Retrieved October 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Ellwood, Gregory ( August 31, 2013 ). `` Review : Powerful 12 Years a Slave wo n't turn away from the brutality of slavery ''. HitFix. Retrieved October 1, 2013. Jump up ^ MacInnes, Paul ( September 7, 2013 ). `` 12 Years a Slave : Toronto film festival - first look review ''. The Guardian. Retrieved October 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Gleiberman, Owen ( September 7, 2013 ). `` Toronto 2013 : ' 12 Years a Slave ' is a landmark of cruelty and transcendence ''. Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved October 2, 2013. Jump up ^ Travers, Peter ( October 17, 2013 ). `` ' 12 Years a Slave ' Review ''. Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Dargis, Manohla ( October 17, 2013 ). `` The Blood and Tears, Not the Magnolias : ' 12 Years a Slave ' Holds Nothing Back in Show of Suffering ''. The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Robey, Tim ( October 17, 2013 ). `` 12 Years A Slave, first review ''. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Hassannia, Tina ( September 9, 2013 ). `` Toronto International Film Festival 2013 : 12 Years a Slave Review ''. Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Slavery, a film narrative and the empty myth of original intent ''. DavidSimon.com. October 29, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015. Jump up ^ Zacharek, Stephanie ( October 16, 2013 ). `` 12 Years a Slave Prizes Radiance Over Life ''. The Village Voice. Voice Media Group. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ Malamud Smith, Peter ( October 20, 2013 ). `` We Can Be Heroes : 12 Years a Slave, Schindler 's List, and the hero problem in American movies ''. Slate. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` What did n't deserve to make our Best Films Of The Decade So Far list ? ''. www.avclub.com. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 17. Jump up ^ Lloyd Douglas, Orville ( September 12, 2013 ). `` Why I wo n't be watching The Butler and 12 Years a Slave ''. The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2013. Jump up ^ Sneed, Timothy ( July 18, 2014 ). `` A Year After Trayvon Martin, Who Is Leading the Race Conversation ? ''. U.S. News & World Report. Jump up ^ `` 12 Years a Slave ' Claims Best Picture Oscar ''. March 2, 2014. Jump up ^ `` 2014 Golden Globe Awards ''. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2014. Jump up ^ Jason Dietz, `` 2013 Film Critic Top Ten Lists '' Archived January 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine., Metacritic, December 8, 2013. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : 12 Years a Slave ( film ) Official website 12 Years a Slave on IMDb 12 Years a Slave at Rotten Tomatoes 12 Years a Slave at Box Office Mojo 12 Years a Slave at Metacritic Brad Pitt Films produced The Departed ( 2006 ) Running with Scissors ( 2006 ) A Mighty Heart ( 2007 ) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ( 2007 ) Kick - Ass ( 2010 ) Eat Pray Love ( 2010 ) The Tree of Life ( 2011 ) Moneyball ( 2011 ) Killing Them Softly ( 2012 ) World War Z ( 2013 ) Kick - Ass 2 ( 2013 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) By the Sea ( 2015 ) The Big Short ( 2015 ) Moonlight ( 2016 ) The Lost City of Z ( 2016 ) War Machine ( 2017 ) Brad 's Status ( 2017 ) Beautiful Boy ( 2018 ) If Beale Street Could Talk ( 2018 ) Backseat ( 2018 ) Ad Astra ( 2019 ) The King ( 2019 ) The Last Black Man in San Francisco ( TBA ) Untitled Miranda July Project ( TBA ) Related articles Awards and nominations Filmography Plan B Entertainment Rusty Ryan Douglas Pitt Steve McQueen Films Hunger ( 2008 ) Shame ( 2011 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Widows ( 2018 ) Television Codes of Conduct Artwork Queen and Country ( 2007 ) Slave narratives Slave Narrative Collection Captivity narrative Individuals by continent of enslavement Africa Robert Adams ( c. 1790 -- ? ) Francis Bok ( b. 1979 ) James Leander Cathcart ( 1767 -- 1843 ) Ólafur Egilsson ( 1564 -- 1639 ) Hark Olufs ( 1708 -- 1754 ) Mende Nazer ( b. 1982 ) Thomas Pellow ( 1705 -- ? ) Joseph Pitts ( 1663 -- 1735 ? ) Guðríður Símonardóttir ( 1598 -- 1682 ) Europe Lovisa von Burghausen ( 1698 -- 1733 ) Olaudah Equiano ( c. 1745 Nigeria -- 31 March 1797 Eng ) Ukawsaw Gronniosaw ( c. 1705 Bornu -- 1775 Eng ) Roustam Raza ( 1783 -- 1845 ) Brigitta Scherzenfeldt ( 1684 -- 1736 ) North America : Canada Marie - Joseph Angélique ( c. 1710 Portugal -- 1734 Montreal ) John R. 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Anderson Jared Maurice Arter Solomon Bayley Polly Berry Henry Bibb Leonard Black Henry `` Box '' Brown John Brown William Wells Brown Peter Bruner ( 1845 KY -- 1938 OH ) Ellen and William Craft Hannah Crafts Lucinda Davis Noah Davis Lucy Delaney Ayuba Suleiman Diallo Frederick Douglass Kate Drumgoold Jordan Winston Early ( 1814 -- after 1894 ) Sarah Jane Woodson Early David George Moses Grandy William Green ( 19th century MD ) William Grimes Josiah Henson Fountain Hughes ( 1848 / 1854 VA -- 1957 ) John Andrew Jackson Harriet Ann Jacobs John Jea Thomas James ( minister ) Paul Jennings ( 1799 -- 1874 ) Elizabeth Keckley Boston King Lunsford Lane J. Vance Lewis Jermain Wesley Loguen Solomon Northup John Parker ( 1827 VA -- 1900 ) William Parker James Robert Moses Roper Omar ibn Said William Henry Singleton Venture Smith Austin Steward ( 1793 VA -- 1860 ) Venerable Pierre Toussaint ( 1766 Saint - Dominque -- 1853 NY ) Harriet Tubman Wallace Turnage Bethany Veney Booker T. Washington Wallace Willis ( 19th century Indian Territory ) Harriet E. Wilson Zamba Zembola ( b.c. 1780 Congo ) South America Osifekunde ( c. 1795 Nigeria -- ? Brazil ) Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua ( 1845 -- 1847, Brazil ) Miguel de Buría ( ? Puerto Rico -- 1555 Venezuela ) Non-fiction books The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano ( 1789 ) The Narrative of Robert Adams ( 1816 ) American Slavery as It Is ( 1839 ) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave ( 1845 ) The Life of Josiah Henson ( 1849 ) Twelve Years a Slave ( 1853 ) My Bondage and My Freedom ( 1855 ) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl ( 1861 ) The Underground Railroad Records ( 1872 ) Life and Times of Frederick Douglass ( 1881 ) Up from Slavery ( 1901 ) The Peculiar Institution ( 1956 ) The Slave Community ( 1972 ) Fiction / novels Oroonoko ( 1688 ) Sab ( 1841 ) Uncle Tom 's Cabin ( 1852 ) The Heroic Slave ( 1852 ) Clotel ( 1853 ) Dred : A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp ( 1856 ) The Bondwoman 's Narrative ( 1853 ? -- 1861 ? ) Our Nig ( 1859 ) Jubilee ( 1966 ) The Confessions of Nat Turner ( 1967 ) Roots : The Saga of an American Family ( 1976 ) Underground to Canada ( 1977 ) Kindred ( 1979 ) Dessa Rose ( 1986 ) Beloved ( 1987 ) Middle Passage ( 1990 ) Queen : The Story of an American Family ( 1993 ) Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons ( 1996 ) Ama : A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade ( 2001 ) Walk Through Darkness ( 2002 ) The Known World ( 2003 ) Unburnable ( 2006 ) Copper Sun ( 2006 ) The Book of Negroes ( 2007 ) The Underground Railroad ( 2016 ) Young adult books Amos Fortune, Free Man ( 1951 ) I, Juan de Pareja ( 1965 ) The Slave - Girl from Jerusalem ( 2007 ) Essay To a Southern Slaveholder ( 1848 ) A Key to Uncle Tom 's Cabin ( 1853 ) Plays The Escape ; or, A Leap for Freedom ( 1858 ) The Octoroon ( 1859 ) Related African - American literature Caribbean literature Films featuring slavery Songs of the Underground Railroad Book of Negroes ( 1783 ) Cotton Plantation Record and Account Book ( 1847 ) Slave Songs of the United States ( 1867 ) Amazing Grace : An Anthology of Poems about Slavery ( 2002 ) The Hemingses of Monticello ( 2008 ) Documentaries Unchained Memories ( 2003 ) Frederick Douglass and the White Negro ( 2008 ) Awards for 12 Years a Slave Academy Award for Best Picture 1927 / 28 -- 1950 Wings ( 1927 / 28 ) The Broadway Melody ( 1928 / 29 ) All Quiet on the Western Front ( 1929 / 30 ) Cimarron ( 1930 / 31 ) Grand Hotel ( 1931 / 32 ) Cavalcade ( 1932 / 33 ) It Happened One Night ( 1934 ) Mutiny on the Bounty ( 1935 ) The Great Ziegfeld ( 1936 ) The Life of Emile Zola ( 1937 ) You Ca n't Take It with You ( 1938 ) Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ) Rebecca ( 1940 ) How Green Was My Valley ( 1941 ) Mrs. Miniver ( 1942 ) Casablanca ( 1943 ) Going My Way ( 1944 ) The Lost Weekend ( 1945 ) The Best Years of Our Lives ( 1946 ) Gentleman 's Agreement ( 1947 ) Hamlet ( 1948 ) All the King 's Men ( 1949 ) All About Eve ( 1950 ) 1951 -- 1975 An American in Paris ( 1951 ) The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1952 ) From Here to Eternity ( 1953 ) On the Waterfront ( 1954 ) Marty ( 1955 ) Around the World in 80 Days ( 1956 ) The Bridge on the River Kwai ( 1957 ) Gigi ( 1958 ) Ben - Hur ( 1959 ) The Apartment ( 1960 ) West Side Story ( 1961 ) Lawrence of Arabia ( 1962 ) Tom Jones ( 1963 ) My Fair Lady ( 1964 ) The Sound of Music ( 1965 ) A Man for All Seasons ( 1966 ) In the Heat of the Night ( 1967 ) Oliver ! 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Confidential ( 1997 ) Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) American Beauty ( 1999 ) Gladiator ( 2000 ) A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) Chicago ( 2002 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) Sideways ( 2004 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) The Departed ( 2006 ) No Country for Old Men ( 2007 ) Slumdog Millionaire ( 2008 ) The Hurt Locker ( 2009 ) The Social Network ( 2010 ) The Artist ( 2011 ) Argo ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Boyhood ( 2014 ) Spotlight ( 2015 ) La La Land ( 2016 ) The Shape of Water ( 2017 ) Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture -- Drama The Song of Bernadette ( 1943 ) Going My Way ( 1944 ) The Lost Weekend ( 1945 ) The Best Years of Our Lives ( 1946 ) Gentleman 's Agreement ( 1947 ) Johnny Belinda / The Treasure of the Sierra Madre ( 1948 ) All the King 's Men ( 1949 ) Sunset Boulevard ( 1950 ) A Place in the Sun ( 1951 ) The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1952 ) The Robe ( 1953 ) On the Waterfront ( 1954 ) East of Eden ( 1955 ) Around the World in 80 Days ( 1956 ) The Bridge on the River Kwai ( 1957 ) The Defiant Ones ( 1958 ) Ben - Hur ( 1959 ) Spartacus ( 1960 ) The Guns of Navarone ( 1961 ) Lawrence of Arabia ( 1962 ) The Cardinal ( 1963 ) Becket ( 1964 ) Doctor Zhivago ( 1965 ) A Man for All Seasons ( 1966 ) In the Heat of the Night ( 1967 ) The Lion in Winter ( 1968 ) Anne of the Thousand Days ( 1969 ) Love Story ( 1970 ) The French Connection ( 1971 ) The Godfather ( 1972 ) The Exorcist ( 1973 ) Chinatown ( 1974 ) One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest ( 1975 ) Rocky ( 1976 ) The Turning Point ( 1977 ) Midnight Express ( 1978 ) Kramer vs. Kramer ( 1979 ) Ordinary People ( 1980 ) On Golden Pond ( 1981 ) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ( 1982 ) Terms of Endearment ( 1983 ) Amadeus ( 1984 ) Out of Africa ( 1985 ) Platoon ( 1986 ) The Last Emperor ( 1987 ) Rain Man ( 1988 ) Born on the Fourth of July ( 1989 ) Dances with Wolves ( 1990 ) Bugsy ( 1991 ) Scent of a Woman ( 1992 ) Schindler 's List ( 1993 ) Forrest Gump ( 1994 ) Sense and Sensibility ( 1995 ) The English Patient ( 1996 ) Titanic ( 1997 ) Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) American Beauty ( 1999 ) Gladiator ( 2000 ) A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) The Hours ( 2002 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) The Aviator ( 2004 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) Babel ( 2006 ) Atonement ( 2007 ) Slumdog Millionaire ( 2008 ) Avatar ( 2009 ) The Social Network ( 2010 ) The Descendants ( 2011 ) Argo ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Boyhood ( 2014 ) The Revenant ( 2015 ) Moonlight ( 2016 ) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ( 2017 ) Independent Spirit Award for Best Film After Hours ( 1985 ) Platoon ( 1986 ) River 's Edge ( 1987 ) Stand and Deliver ( 1988 ) Sex, Lies, and Videotape ( 1989 ) The Grifters ( 1990 ) Rambling Rose ( 1991 ) The Player ( 1992 ) Short Cuts ( 1993 ) Pulp Fiction ( 1994 ) Leaving Las Vegas ( 1995 ) Fargo ( 1996 ) The Apostle ( 1997 ) Gods and Monsters ( 1998 ) Election ( 1999 ) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ( 2000 ) Memento ( 2001 ) Far from Heaven ( 2002 ) Lost in Translation ( 2003 ) Sideways ( 2004 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) Little Miss Sunshine ( 2006 ) Juno ( 2007 ) The Wrestler ( 2008 ) Precious ( 2009 ) Black Swan ( 2010 ) The Artist ( 2011 ) Silver Linings Playbook ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance ) ( 2014 ) Spotlight ( 2015 ) Moonlight ( 2016 ) Get Out ( 2017 ) London Film Critics ' Circle Award for Film of the Year Apocalypse Now ( 1980 ) Chariots of Fire ( 1981 ) Missing ( 1982 ) The King of Comedy ( 1983 ) Paris, Texas ( 1984 ) The Purple Rose of Cairo ( 1985 ) A Room with a View ( 1986 ) Hope and Glory ( 1987 ) House of Games ( 1988 ) Distant Voices, Still Lives ( 1989 ) Crimes and Misdemeanors ( 1990 ) Thelma & Louise ( 1991 ) Unforgiven ( 1992 ) The Piano ( 1993 ) Schindler 's List ( 1994 ) Babe ( 1995 ) Fargo ( 1996 ) L.A. Confidential ( 1997 ) Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) American Beauty ( 1999 ) Being John Malkovich ( 2000 ) Moulin Rouge ! ( 2001 ) About Schmidt ( 2002 ) Master and Commander : The Far Side of the World ( 2003 ) Sideways ( 2004 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) United 93 ( 2006 ) No Country for Old Men ( 2007 ) The Wrestler ( 2008 ) A Prophet ( 2009 ) The Social Network ( 2010 ) The Artist ( 2011 ) Amour ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Boyhood ( 2014 ) Mad Max : Fury Road ( 2015 ) La La Land ( 2016 ) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ( 2017 ) NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture 1972 -- 2000 Lady Sings the Blues ( 1972 ) Let 's Do It Again ( 1976 ) The Greatest ( 1978 ) Fame ( 1980 ) Bustin ' Loose ( 1981 ) An Officer and a Gentleman ( 1982 ) A Soldier 's Story ( 1985 ) The Color Purple ( 1986 ) Lethal Weapon ( 1987 ) Coming to America ( 1988 ) Lean on Me ( 1989 ) Glory ( 1990 ) Boyz n the Hood ( 1992 ) Sister Act ( 1993 ) Malcolm X ( 1994 ) Waiting to Exhale ( 1996 ) A Time to Kill ( 1997 ) Soul Food ( 1998 ) How Stella Got Her Groove Back ( 1999 ) The Best Man ( 2000 ) 2001 -- present Remember the Titans ( 2001 ) Ali ( 2002 ) Antwone Fisher ( 2003 ) The Fighting Temptations ( 2004 ) Ray ( 2005 ) Crash ( 2006 ) The Pursuit of Happyness ( 2007 ) The Great Debaters ( 2008 ) The Secret Life of Bees ( 2009 ) Precious ( 2010 ) For Colored Girls ( 2011 ) The Help ( 2012 ) Red Tails ( 2013 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2014 ) Selma ( 2015 ) Straight Outta Compton ( 2016 ) Hidden Figures ( 2017 ) Girls Trip ( 2018 ) Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture Driving Miss Daisy ( 1989 ) Dances with Wolves ( 1990 ) The Silence of the Lambs ( 1991 ) The Crying Game ( 1992 ) Schindler 's List ( 1993 ) Forrest Gump ( 1994 ) Apollo 13 ( 1995 ) The English Patient ( 1996 ) Titanic ( 1997 ) Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) American Beauty ( 1999 ) Gladiator ( 2000 ) Moulin Rouge ! ( 2001 ) Chicago ( 2002 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) The Aviator ( 2004 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) Little Miss Sunshine ( 2006 ) No Country for Old Men ( 2007 ) Slumdog Millionaire ( 2008 ) The Hurt Locker ( 2009 ) The King 's Speech ( 2010 ) The Artist ( 2011 ) Argo ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave / Gravity ( 2013 ) Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance ) ( 2014 ) The Big Short ( 2015 ) La La Land ( 2016 ) The Shape of Water ( 2017 ) Satellite Award for Best Film Musical or Comedy ( 1996 -- 2009, retired ) Evita ( 1996 ) As Good as It Gets ( 1997 ) Shakespeare in Love ( 1998 ) Being John Malkovich ( 1999 ) Nurse Betty ( 2000 ) Moulin Rouge ! ( 2001 ) My Big Fat Greek Wedding ( 2002 ) Lost in Translation ( 2003 ) Sideways ( 2004 ) Walk the Line ( 2005 ) Dreamgirls ( 2006 ) Juno ( 2007 ) Happy - Go - Lucky ( 2008 ) Nine ( 2009 ) Motion Picture Drama ( 1996 -- 2009, retired ) Fargo ( 1996 ) Titanic ( 1997 ) The Thin Red Line ( 1998 ) The Insider ( 1999 ) Traffic ( 2000 ) In the Bedroom ( 2001 ) Far from Heaven ( 2002 ) In America ( 2003 ) Hotel Rwanda ( 2004 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) The Departed ( 2006 ) No Country for Old Men ( 2007 ) Slumdog Millionaire ( 2008 ) The Hurt Locker ( 2009 ) Motion Picture ( 2010 -- present ) The Social Network ( 2010 ) The Descendants ( 2011 ) Silver Linings Playbook ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance ) ( 2014 ) Spotlight ( 2015 ) La La Land / Manchester by the Sea ( 2016 ) God 's Own Country / Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ( 2017 ) Saturn Award for Best Independent Film Killer Joe ( 2012 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) Whiplash ( 2014 ) Room ( 2015 ) La La Land ( 2016 ) Wonder ( 2017 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=12_Years_a_Slave_(film)&oldid=856054612 '' Categories : 2013 films English - language films 2010s biographical films 2010s drama films 2010s historical films 2010s independent films African - American biographical dramas African - American films African - American genealogy American biographical films American drama films American independent films British biographical films British drama films Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners Best Film BAFTA Award winners Best Picture Academy Award winners Drama films based on actual events Entertainment One films Film4 Productions films Icon Productions films Summit Entertainment films Plan B Entertainment films Regency Enterprises films Films scored by Hans Zimmer Films directed by Steve McQueen Films about American slavery Films based on biographies Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award - winning performance Films produced by Brad Pitt Films set in 1841 Films set in 1853 Films set in the 1840s Films set in the 1850s Films set in Louisiana Films set in New York City Films shot in New Orleans Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award Independent Spirit Award for Best Film winners Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Good articles Use mdy dates from September 2013 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2018 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Asturianu Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Fiji Hindi Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Malti მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt ייִדיש 粵語 中文 51 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 August 2018, at 15 : 14 ( UTC ). 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Question: who was 12 years a slave based on
Answer: Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery