Chiwetel Ejiofor
12 Years a Slave
(2013)
John Ridley (screenplay by), Solomon Northup (based on "Twelve Years a Slave" by)
Won 3 Oscars. Another 239 wins & 335 nominations.
Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty personified by a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
2012
(2009)
Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser
4 wins & 20 nominations.
Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build "arks" to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.
American Gangster
(2007)
Steven Zaillian, Mark Jacobson (article)
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 32 nominations.
In 1970s America, a detective works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far East.
Secret in Their Eyes
(2015)
Billy Ray (screenplay), Juan José Campanella (film "El secreto de sus ojos"), Eduardo Sacheri (film "El secreto de sus ojos")
1 win & 3 nominations.
2002: Ray Kasten (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Jess Cobb (Julia Roberts) are two investigators in a private police unit led by the DA. When they receive an anonymous tip about a girl raped and killed, they rush to the scene. Ray realizes it is Jess' daughter and the team falls apart due to the grief. In 2015, Ray comes back to LA, and says that after 13 years, he has found a lead and convinces the DA to reopen the case. They find clues and leads unknown to them, and secrets from the past come to light as they start discovering the real, chilling truth. Meanwhile, Jess, dissatisfied with the law, decides to take matters into her own hands and track down the killer, no matter what lengths she has to go to.
The Martian
(2015)
Drew Goddard (screenplay by), Andy Weir (based on the novel by)
Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 37 wins & 185 nominations.
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring "the Martian" home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney's safe return.