Here’s a nice behind-the-scenes featurette, highlighting the making of the film, featuring key cast and crew, including director Steve McQueen and star Chiwetel Ejiofor, as well as a lot of new footage not seen in the only trailer that’s been released thus far.

Within the footage, we get our first look at Adepero Oduye as Eliza, a mother who is initially separated from her children in a slave auction. 

After it’s sneak peek screening at Telluride over the weekend (see Frances’ stellar review of it HERE), Fox Searchlight will debut 12 Years A Slave at the Toronto International Film Festival which opens its doors in 2 days. 

Fox Searchlight will also screen the film at the New York Film Festival, and the New Orleans Film Festival, before releasing it theatrically on October 18, in a limited roll-out and will then expand nationwide in successive weeks. 

The R-rated slave narrative, McQueen’s 3rd feature, boasts a rather impressive cast of actors, including: Chiwetel Ejiofor (as Solomon Northup, the star of the film and whose story it tells), Michael Fassbender, Ruth Negga, Adepero Oduye, Alfre Woodard, Lupita Nyong’o, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scoot McNairy, Garret Dillahunt, Brad Pitt, Michael K. Williams,  Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson and others. 

Here’s the 5 1/2-minute featurette (if it doesn’t load for you in the Yahoo player below, try the YouTube player below it):