12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by Steve McQueen from a screenplay by John Ridley, based on the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, an African American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. He was put to work on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before being released. The first scholarly edition of David Wilson's version of Northup's story was co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon.
Theatrical release poster
The Edwin Epps House, now located on the ground of Louisiana State University of Alexandria, is a stop along Northup's Trail. Solomon Northup and Samuel Bass helped build the house that was completed in 1852.
John Ridley in 2013
Director Steve McQueen at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival
Sir Steve Rodney McQueen is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter, and video artist. For services to the visual arts, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2011. In 2014, he was included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 list of the "most influential people in the world". He has received an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and in 2016 the BFI Fellowship.
McQueen at DIFF 2024
McQueen holding his Academy Award for Best Picture in March 2014
McQueen and Michael Fassbender (pictured in 2013) have frequently collaborated on films
McQueen at a Q&A discussion for his film Shame at the TIFF in 2011
