12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical historical 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, a Black American, who was kidnapped from 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. Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards, March 2, 2014 — hosted by Ellen DeGeneres at Dolby Theatre. 43.63 million US viewers. Most awards that night: Gravity. Wiki link Wiki link Poster: TMDB (this product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB).