Fox Searchlight has released the first clip from 12 Years a Slave.  The true story is based on Solomon Northup’s autobiography of the same name, and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men) as Northup, an educated and married black man living in New York in 1841.  Northup was approached by two men about a job offer in Washington D.C., but when he showed up he was kidnapped and forced into slavery for over a decade.  The clip features one of the film’s more potent scenes where Solomon, before he’s kidnapped and sold into slavery, chooses to turn a blind-eye to the heinous institution.

Hit the jump to check out the clip along with some new images.  The film also stars Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhane Wallis, Sarah Paulson, Paul Dano, Scoot McNairy, Garrett Dillahunt, Alfre Woodard, Dwight Henry, Michael K. Williams, and Brad Pitt.  12 Years a Slave opens on October 18th.  Click here to read my review from the Toronto International Film Festival.

Clip via Vulture.

‬

Images via Huffington Post and The Playlist.

 

Here’s the official synopsis for 12 Years a Slave:

12 YEARS A SLAVE is 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) forever alters his life.