12 YEARS A SLAVE (15)

WHO’S IN IT?

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), Michael Fassbender (Prometheus), Lupita Nyong’o (film debut), Sarah Paulson (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness), Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Paul Dano (Prisoners), Adepero Oduye (Pariah), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Garret Dillahunt (No Country For Old Men), Scoot McNairy (Argo), Taran Killam (The Heat), Chris Chalk (The Newsroom), Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Steve McQueen (Shame), director, producer; John Ridley (Red Tails), writer; Dede Gardner (The Tree of Life), Anthony Katagas (The Big Wedding), Jeremy Kleiner (World War Z), Arnon Milchan (Jumper), Brad Pitt (Moneyball) and Bill Pohlad (Into The Wild), producers; Hans Zimmer (Inception), composer; Sean Bobbitt (The Place Beyond The Pines), cinematographer; Joe Walker (Harry Brown), editor

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The harrowing true story of Solomon Northup (Ejiofor), a free black man in 1841 who is kidnapped and sold into slavery wherein he experiences more than a decade’s worth of severe cruelty from his peers and white masters, most notably the sadistic Edwin Epps (Fassbender)…

IN ONE SENTENCE, WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?

This is the Oscar contender we’ve all been waiting for, and for good reason; never shying away from the horrific truths of American slavery thanks to powerhouse directing and exceptional performances all round, 12 Years A Slave is a cinematic experience not seen in a generation.

WHEN’S IT OUT?

FRIDAY 10TH JANUARY 2014

Search from over ten years of movies here:

Other recent reviews:

Good Fortune (dir. Aziz Ansari)

A guardian angel meddles in the lives of a wealthy entrepreneur and a struggling gig worker…

Plainclothes (dir. Carmen Emmi)

An undercover police officer falls for his latest target…

Tron: Ares (dir. Joachim Rønning)

A super-intelligent program is sent from the digital world to ours for a bold mission…

Good Boy (dir. Ben Leonberg)

A loyal dog witnesses his owner succumb to supernatural forces…

I Swear (dir. Kirk Jones)

A young man with Tourette’s syndrome struggles to live with his condition…

BFI London Film Festival 2025 Reviews: The Secret Agent, Twinless and more!

Our first collection of reviews from this year’s BFI London Film Festival includes write-ups on some of the most anticipated titles from this year’s edition, including Sirât, Left-Handed Girl and others!

Him (dir. Justin Tipping)

An aspiring football player is put through a testing regime by a former quarterback…

The Smashing Machine (dir. Benny Safdie)

Former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr helps usher in a new era for the sport…

The Lost Bus (dir. Paul Greengrass)

A bus driver rescues a classroom from a destructive wildfire…

Urchin (dir. Harris Dickinson)

A homeless man attempts to turn his life around…

Optimized by Optimole