Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave to Have US Premiere at NYFF

Can this year’s festival get any better? The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Film Comment Magazine announced today that they will present the US premiere of director Steve McQueen’s newest feature film, 12 Years a Slave. McQueen, whose first film Hunger is in this writer’s opinion the greatest films about The Troubles in Northern Ireland ever put to film, also premiered his second feature film, Shame, at the 2011 New York Film Festival. The film has already received rave reviews at a special sneak preview screening at the Telluride Film Festival, and the NYFF looks to honor it with a proper premiere with its stars and director in attendance.

12 Years a Slave is based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York who was abducted in 1841 and sold into slavery. The film, which is slated to rack up tons of awards come Oscar season, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup and McQueen alum Michael Fassbender as one of Northup’s cruel slaveowners, as well as an amazing ensemble including Paul Dano, Lupita Nyong’o, Adepero Oduye, Alfre Woodard, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Brad Pitt who is also the film’s producer

Gavin Smith, a NYFF Selection Committee member and the Editor-in-Chief of Film Comment said, “Film Comment is delighted to be able to champion 12 Years a Slave at the New York Film Festival. This is a powerful work about a subject that remains vital and I have no doubt that it’s one of the year’s most important films.” McQueen added, “I am honored that 12 Years a Slave will be presented at the New York Film Festival in association with Film Comment. For me, this feels like a true home-coming for Solomon as he was from New York and I’m delighted that his story can be celebrated here.”

The film will play in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be released by Fox Searchlight later this year on October 18^th.