In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
- Won 3 Oscars
- 244 wins & 337 nominations total
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Best Picture Winners by Year
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe tree where Solomon sees several men being lynched was actually used for lynching, and is surrounded by the graves of murdered slaves.
- GoofsWhen "Platt" is explaining how to bring the logs down the river, the overseer scornfully asks him where he became an expert in engineering and "terraforming." This a word coined by science fiction author Jack Williamson in 1942, almost exactly 100 years after the scene takes place.
- Quotes
Solomon Northup: I don't want to survive. I want to live.
- Crazy credits"Solomon brought the men responsible for his abduction to trial. Unable to testify against whites in the nation's capital, he lost the case against the slave pen owner, James Burch. After lengthy legal proceedings in New York, his kidnappers Hamilton and Brown also avoided prosecution."
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Onion Film Standard: 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Featured review
And the Oscar goes to...
chitchens fan 2 hours ago △ ▽
−
Well, to begin, I cannot remember the last time I could not get up at the end of a movie. I literally could not rise up from my seat. My body felt as though it were being weighed down by something considerably larger and heavier than myself... History had it's way with me( I am an African American woman). Thank you Mr. McQueen, Mr. Ejiofor, Ms. Nyong'o, Ms. Paulson and others, and yes, even Mr. Fassbender. I am not a film critic nor a movie hobbyist, although I try to stay current, but what I am is a human being trying to understand the various problems and issues within our country. This movie is a potent reminder of why we are where we are as a society today. How man can be so unflinchingly cruel to his fellow man, especially if he looks, speaks or behaves differently, I will never understand.
−
Well, to begin, I cannot remember the last time I could not get up at the end of a movie. I literally could not rise up from my seat. My body felt as though it were being weighed down by something considerably larger and heavier than myself... History had it's way with me( I am an African American woman). Thank you Mr. McQueen, Mr. Ejiofor, Ms. Nyong'o, Ms. Paulson and others, and yes, even Mr. Fassbender. I am not a film critic nor a movie hobbyist, although I try to stay current, but what I am is a human being trying to understand the various problems and issues within our country. This movie is a potent reminder of why we are where we are as a society today. How man can be so unflinchingly cruel to his fellow man, especially if he looks, speaks or behaves differently, I will never understand.
helpful•418193
- thamanidelgardo-822-410218
- Oct 18, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Twelve Years a Slave
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $56,671,993
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $923,715
- Oct 20, 2013
- Gross worldwide
- $187,734,091
- Runtime2 hours 14 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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