Above: Steve McQueen

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada has an Oscar.

United Kingdom-born Steve McQueen’s film, “Twelve Years a Slave,” took home the Academy Award for Best Picture on Sunday evening.

McQueen, whose parents were Grenadian (although his mother was born in Trinidad), was the director and a producer on the film, which told the true story of how New York-resident Solomon Northrup was kidnapped and sold as a slave in the American South.

McQueen gave the acceptance speech for the award, following a brief introduction by co-producer Brad Pitt.

The film, based on Northrup’s memoir, “Twelve Years a Slave,” has grossed more than $50 million in the United States and almost 90 million abroad.

McQueen, a rising star in Hollywood, is the director of acclaimed films including Hunger and Shame.

Earlier in the weekend, McQueen won the Independent Spirit award for Best Director.