Film4-backed 12 Years a Slave wins three Academy Awards

Film4 is celebrating after Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave took home three Academy Awards, including the top award of the night, Best Picture.  The film also won Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o and Best Adapted Screenplay for John Ridley.

Tessa Ross, Channel 4 Controller of Film and Drama, said: “We’re absolutely over the moon for Steve, Lupita and John, and the whole team on this extraordinary film.  From internationally acclaimed artist to Academy Award winning filmmaker in just a few years, Steve's is an astonishing journey, and one that Channel 4 is immensely privileged to have been a part of.  He's an inspiration to so many. It’s Steve's moment, but the whole of the British film industry should also feel incredibly proud tonight.”

In his acceptance speech, Steve McQueen thanked Film4 and “the great Tessa Ross” for their support. He dedicated the award to “all the people who have endured slavery, and the 21 million people who still suffer slavery today,” adding “everyone deserves not just to survive but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup.”

Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free man sold into slavery, 12 Years a Slave has been winning plaudits and accolades since its world premiere last year. It’s Film4’s third collaboration with Steve McQueen following on from the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Hunger and Shame.

The Academy Award wins cement Film4’s position as one of the leading supporters of British film. With an annual budget of £15 million, Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most innovative talent in the UK, whether new or established. 

Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, Academy Award-winners such as Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady; critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Chris Morris’ Four Lions, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers and Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant; and the most successful British comedy at the UK box office, Ben Palmer’s The Inbetweeners Movie.

Film4’s upcoming slate includes Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, Richard Ayoade’s The Double, David Mackenzie’s Starred Up, Lone Sherfig’s Posh, Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days on Earth, Kevin Macdonald’s Black Sea, Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth, Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall, Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Yann Demange’s ’71, Damon Beesley and Iain Morris’s The Inbetweeners Movie II and Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man.