12 Years a Slave was produced by Plan B Entertainment, Regency Enterprises, and Film4, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o. It tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the 1840s. Directed by Steve McQueen, the film was a critical and commercial success, earning over $172 million at the box office against an $18 million budget, along with multiple awards including Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes.

1. C A T E G O R Y E
12 Years a Slave
‘12 Years a Slave isn't simply a masterpiece, it's a milestone.
This, at last, really is history written with lightning.’
- The Daily Telegraph

2. Studio
 Summit Entertainment – An American film studio and subsidiary
of Lions Gate Entertainment headquartered in Universal City, California with
international offices in London.
 Regency Enterprises – A Los Angeles-based entertainment
company formed by Arnold Milchan and Joseph P. Grace. Its most successful
film is Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
 Film4 – A digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and
Ireland, owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, that
screens films.
 Plan B – An American film production company founded in 2002 by Brad
Pitt, Brad Grey and Jennifer Aniston. The company currently holds a release
deal with Paramount Pictures, along with Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox.

3. Production Team
 Brad Pitt – Actor as well as a producer. He has received five Academy
Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one
Golden Globe.
 Dede Gardener – An American film producer and the president of
Plan B (Brad Pitt’s production company). She, along with her fellow producers
were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for the 2011 film The
Tree of Life.
 Steve McQueen – British film director, producer, screenwriter and
video artist. He won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and is nominated for an
Academy Award for 12 Years a Slave.
 Anthony Katagas - A film producer. He and his fellow producers
are nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for 12 Years a
Slave.

4. Distribution and Exhibition
 Fox Searchlight Pictures – established in 1994, it is an American
film distribution company within the Fox Entertainment Group, a sister
company of the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox. It specialises in the US
distribution of independent and British films.
 Entertainment One – Also known as eOne, is an international
entertainment corporation operating in the United States, Canada, UK, Spain,
Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand.

5. Starring…
Benedict
Cumberbatch
Chiwetel
Ejiofor
Michael
Fassbender
Lupita
Nyong’o

6. Synopsis
Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and
freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel
Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold
into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner,
portrayed by Michael Fassbender), as well as unexpected kindnesses,
Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the
twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with
a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) will forever alter his life.

7. Commercial and Financial Success
 Budget - $18 million
 Box Office - $172,036,000
 3 Academy Awards
 1 BAFTA Award
 1 Golden Globe Award