"Steve McQueen's Frustration with '12 Years a Slave' Promotion"
In an oral history of the making of "12 Years a Slave," director Steve McQueen reveals that his decision to make a film about slavery was inspired by the assumption that he was not Black during meetings in Hollywood. The film, based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup, a free Black man who was kidnapped and enslaved, went on to win three Oscars and paved the way for other landmark Black films. The production faced challenges such as extreme heat, lightning strikes, and difficult scenes, but ultimately made history and shed light on the horrors of slavery.