12 years a slave
Steve McQueen
A free African-American man is kidnapped in Boston and sold into slavery on a Louisiana plantation. Based on the slave memoir by Solomon Northup (1853), 12 Years a Slave was a sensation, and not just as an indictment of racism. In contrast to his two previous films, McQueen infused the picture with a shimmering, consistently rich texture, and a use of colour more generous than anything he had done before. Oscars and Baftas were heaped upon this dazzling film.
Flagey, Cinematek
