HOLLYWOOD'S ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS - HONORING THE BEST IN FILM - WON'T BE HANDED OUT UNTIL
MARCH 2, BUT THERE WAS PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT RECENTLY ... WHEN THE NOMINEES WERE ANNOUNCED.
AMONG THEM IS "12 YEARS A SLAVE."
THE HISTORICAL DRAMA IS BASED ON A FORMER SLAVE'S 1853 MEMOIR.
SOLOMON NORTHROP WAS BORN A FREE MAN IN NEW YORK, BUT KIDNAPPED AND SOLD INTO SLAVERY.
HIS STORY WAS REDISCOVERED BY A LOUISIANA WOMAN IN THE 1960S.
ON ASSIGNMENT'S REBECCA WARD SPOKE WITH VOA'S GREG FLAKUS ABOUT NORTHROP'S STORY, AND THE
WOMAN WHO MADE IT HER LIFE'S WORK TO PROVE ITS AUTHENTICITY.
SUE EAKIN GREW UP IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SHE WAS IN AN ATMOSPHERE THAT TIME OF THE
40S AND 50S WHERE THERE WAS A DEEP DIVIDE - THERE WAS SEGREGATION.
WHEN SHE ENCOUNTERED THIS BOOK IN A PRIVATE LIBRARY AT A LOCAL PLANTATION, SHE WAS FASCINATED
BY IT AND SHE WANTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IT.
PEOPLE HAD TOLD HER THE BOOK WAS JUST FICTION.
BUT SUE EAKIN RECOGNIZED SOME OF THE LOCATIONS AND FAMILY NAMES.
SHE SPENT YEARS AUTHENTICATING IT, OFTEN WITH FRANK IN TOW.
"A LOT OF MY CHILDHOOD WAS ON THE ROAD TRAVELING WITH HER, GOING TO COURTHOUSES AND RESEARCHING
EVERY DETAIL OF THAT STORY."
WE WAITED SOME TIME WHEN FINALLY FREEMAN, OUT OF PATIENCE, TORE EMILY FROM HER MOTHER
BY MAIN FORCE.
THE TWO CLINGING TO EACH OTHER WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT.
"IT'S BEEN RECOGNIZED NOW AS ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING, FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS OF SLAVERY
IN EXISTENCE.
AND IT TOLD A STORY THAT SHE TRULY, PASSIONATELY FELT HAD TO BE TOLD.
WELL BOY HOW YOU FEELING NOW?
MY NAME IS SOLOMON NORTHUP.
I'M A FREE MAN AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO DETAIN ME.
YOU KNOW FREEMAN.
YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A GEORGIA RUNAWAY.
YOU ACTUALLY MET SOME OF ITS LOCAL STARS?
HOW DID THEY SAY THAT BEING IN THE FILM, PLAYING THESE ROLES, AFFECT THEM PERSONALLY?
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE TRAUMATIC STORIES OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN UNITED STATES.
THE MAJORITY OF WHOM ARE, IN FACT, DESCENDED FROM SLAVES.
SO YEAH IT HAD A DEEP IMPACT.
I WAS TALKING TO, THERE ARE TWO ACTORS IN PARTICULAR I'VE COME TO KNOW TO DANINE TYLER
AND HER DAUGHTER DEVON.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS HAD DEEP MEANING FOR THEM AND IT WAS QUITE INTERESTING
TO BE ON THIS PLANTATION WHERE THEY WERE MAKING A DOCUMENTARY.
NOW FRANK EAKIN, WHO'S THE SON OF SUE EAKIN, HE'S PUT OUT AN AUDIOBOOK WITH LOUIS GOSSETT
JUNIOR.
AND SO LOUIS GOSSETT JUNIOR WAS THERE AT THIS PLANTATION NEAR BUNKIE, ALONG WITH THE TYLERS
AND OTHER PEOPLE FOR DOCUMENTARY THEY'RE DOING ON PRESENT DAY RACE RELATIONS IN THAT AREA.
WELL IT'S FASCINATING THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS BOOK AND NOW THIS MOVIE HAS KIND OF OPENED
A DIALOGUE IN THIS SMALL TOWN THAT STILL HAS SOME HEALING TO DO.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
THE SITUATION IN BUNKIE TODAY IS NOT ONE OF RACIAL STRIFE OR ANYTHING OF THAT SORT.
BUT THERE'S A MAJORITY BLACK POPULATION AND THERE'S A WHITE POPULATION AND IT'S ALMOST
AS IF THEY LIVE IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS.
AND IT'S ON BOTH SIDES.
WE ENCOUNTERED A YOUNG BLACK WOMAN, SHE'S ABOUT 18 OR 19 YEARS OLD, WHO HAD MOVED TO
BATON ROUGE.
OF COURSE A LITTLE BIT LARGER CITY.
AND SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW SHE COULDN'T STAND BEING IN BUNKIE ANYMORE BECAUSE THE
ATTITUDE.
AND SHE RECOUNTED THE STORY ABOUT HOW SHE WANTED A WHITE FRIEND COME OVER TO HER HOUSE
AND VISIT AND HER PARENTS WERE AGAINST THE IDEA.
THERE'S A MISTRUST AND A SORT OF ANIMOSITY THAT STILL EXISTS IN THE TOWN.
THE TOWN, FOR EXAMPLE HAS NO - NOT EVEN ONE BLACK POLICEMAN AND IT'S A TOWN WITH THE MAJORITY
BLACK POPULATION.
SO THESE ARE KINDS OF THINGS THEY'RE TRYING TO GET INTO THE DIALOGUE AND TRYING TO TALK
TO EACH OTHER ABOUT.
AND THE INITIAL MEETING WE HAD THERE WAS QUITE INTERESTING BECAUSE THE PEOPLE DID COME TOGETHER
AND THEY DID TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS.
THE MAYOR WAS THERE FOR EXAMPLE.
HOPEFULLY THROUGH OUR DIALOGUE, SOME THINGS WILL COME OUT THAT POSSIBLY HASN'T BEEN DISCUSSED
IN GROUPS BEFORE THAT AND WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES IF THERE ARE ISSUES ON EITHER SIDE.
BY THE WAY THAT HOUSE WHERE WE DOING THIS PROJECT OR WHERE FRANK EAKIN AND HIS FRIENDS
WERE DOING THIS - THIS IS A HOUSE WHERE SOLOMON NORTHRUP ONCE PLAYED THE FIDDLE.
WHEN HE WAS A SLAVE AT ANOTHER PLANTATION, THEY LENT HIM TO THIS HOUSE FOR A PARTY AND
HE PLAYED THE FIDDLE AND IT'S RECOUNTED IN HIS BOOK.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS THE PRESENT OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY WERE ABLE TO VERIFY BUT THAT
PROPERTY HAD BEEN THERE SINCE THE 1850S.