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Home • News

'12 Years A Slave' Wins Oscar for Best Picture, Makes History

This makes the it the first time a film directed by a Black director has won Best Picture in the Academy's 86 year history.
'12 Years A Slave' Wins Oscar for Best Picture
Kevin Winter/ Getty
By Yolanda Sangweni · Updated October 27, 2020
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Period drama 12 Years a Slave has won an Academy Award for Best Picture.

The movie—based on the life of Solomon Northup, a free Black man abducted and sold into slavery—also took home Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong’o) and Best Adapted Screenplay (John Ridley).

This makes it the first time a film by a Black director (Steve McQueen) has won Best Picture in the Academy’s 86-year history.

Congrats to the cast and crew of 12 Years a Slave on their big win.