12 Years a Slave

SPOTLIGHT on Steve McQueen and Chiwetel Ejiofor

Join us for this Spotlight program featuring a conversation with 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. In an MVFF first, Steve McQueen AND Chiwetel Ejiofor will both be presented with the MVFF Award, designed by acclaimed Mill Valley artist Alice Corning. After the program, join us for a quintessential Marin evening along a creekside redwood grove at the new Mill Valley retailer Guideboat Co. (129 Miller Ave.) located in the recently restored mercantile at the historic Mill Valley Lumber Yard. Enjoy nourishment and spirits provided by Ged Robertson and chef Todd Shoberg, wines by Donelan Family Vineyards and live music. Valet parking available at the party.

One day Solomon Northup is an accomplished violinist with a wife and two children in New York; the next he is a runaway slave named Platt sold to a plantation owner in Georgia. What happens in between and thereafter is an American slavery story rarely told. Abducted and illegally sold into slavery, Solomon’s intellect is no asset in this life, and his hopes for returning to his former one are few. Acclaimed British filmmaker Steve McQueen (Hunger; Shame, MVFF 2011) demonstrates a formidable command of his material, relating Northup’s tragic circumstance with an enthralling balance of nuance and blunt force. Featuring fearless performances by a stellar cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, Kinky Boots) and including Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and several surprise players (among them producer Brad Pitt), this brilliant, unforgettable film turns history into a visceral cinematic experience.