Steve McQueen (L) poses backstage with Chiwetel Ejiofor from 12 Years A Slave after winning Director of the Year at the 2014 Photo: Reuters
We are thrilled that Chelsea alumnus and Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen last night won the best film award at the Baftas for his feature film 12 years a slave. As reported on the BBC website, he thanked his “one and only mother for having the faith – never give up”.
Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor also collected the best actor trophy for his role in the film, Solomon Northup.
So far it has been a busy awards season for McQueen: the film is nominated for and nine Oscars and it won the Best Drama award at the Golden Globes earlier this month and won three awards at the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards .
Steve, who studied for his Foundation degree here, has marked out his time at Chelsea as a seminal period of creative freedom, as reported widely in the media recently. John Crossley, a tutor who taught Steve during this time, said:
“Steve had a quiet, sensitive and yet direct personae that was mirrored in his approach to his exploration of his ideas, which tended to involve performance and photography as a way of developing an identity. He was highly thought of by staff and students alike.”
We wish him all the best for these and for next month’s Oscars which take place on 2 March!