NPR Presents: '12 Years A Slave' Screenwriter John Ridley At NPR HQ, 1/15

NPR PRESENTS: '12 YEARS A SLAVE,' A CONVERSATION WITH SCREENWRITER JOHN RIDLEY

And Michele Norris at NPR HQ, January 15 at 7:00PM

January 8, 2014; 1111 N. Capitol St. NE – As movie awards season ramps up, NPR invites fans to attend a special conversation about one of the year's most talked-about and nominated films. Next Wednesday, January 15, at 7PM (ET) at NPR HQ's Studio 1, 12 Years A Slave writer and producer John Ridley talks about its making and impact with NPR correspondent Michele Norris. Tickets for the event are $15 and available now at http://bit.ly/1kqTAXq

Through a conversation with Ridley, Norris will take the audience behind the scenes of 12 Years A Slave, offering an in-depth discussion of the social, historical and cinematic nuances surrounding the film and his writing process in adapting the story for the big screen. A Q&A session with Ridley will follow, moderated by Norris, whose Race Card Project fosters wider conversation about race in America on the radio, online and in communities nationwide.

Based on the 1853 memoir, 12 Years A Slave follows the life of Solomon Northup, a free man from upstate New York who struggles for his freedom and his humanity after being kidnapped and sold into slavery. The film is widely lauded by critics as one of the most visceral portrayals of American slavery ever brought to the screen, and is nominated for seven awards — including Best Screenplay — at the Golden Globes, which take place this Sunday. Ridley is an American novelist, director and screenwriter whose other films include Undercover Brother (2002), Three Kings (1999) and Cold Around the Heart (1997).

Note: A limited number of press seats available; please contact NPR media relations to reserve.

Contact

NPR Media Relations: Cara Philbin
Email: mediarelations (at) npr.org