MICHAEL DUMAS: 19, student, 5th great-grandsonĢ. NUBIAN WADE LINZY: 14, student, 4th great-granddaughterġ. DIJONNA PARKER: 21, student, 5th great-granddaughterĢ6. NAJIYA FAYTH PARKER: 2, 6th great-granddaughterĢ5. LAUREN WILLIAMS: 26, writer, 4th great-granddaughterĢ4. RICHARD LINZY: 53, vice principal, 3rd great-grandsonĢ2.

KEARI ANTHONY PARKER: 1, 6th great-grandsonĢ0. MAUREEN VETO: 43, cosmetologist, 4th great-granddaughterġ9. CHRIS BICKSLER: 21, student, 4th great-grandsonġ8. COOPER: 63, retired, 3rd great-grandsonġ7. LAURA LINZY: 79, retired, 2nd great-granddaughterġ6. ADRIAN COOPER: 66, retired, 3rd great-grandsonġ5. VIDEO: Steve McQueen Surprises Solomon Northup's Descendants During Emotional Photoshootġ4. CAROL ADAMS-SALLY: 72, retired, 2nd great-granddaughter LORI WILLIAMS: 49, teaching assistant, 3rd great-granddaughterġ3. DIANA RUSS: 32, electronics operator and backup singer, 4th great-granddaughterġ2. MARIA ZAHOS: 31, sales trainer, 3rd great-granddaughterġ1. REBECCA BICKSLER: 43, postal service worker, 3rd great-granddaughterġ0. JOSHUA FARR: 24, forklift driver, 4th great-grandsonĩ. ELAINE COOPER-JOHNSON: 64, retired, 3rd great-granddaughterĨ. MELISSA HOWELL: 42, arts manager, 3rd great-granddaughterħ. ALEXANDRIA WARE: 21, supermarket supervisor, 4th great-granddaughterĦ. DEIRDRE LINZY: declined to give age, administrative assistant, 3rd great-granddaughterĥ. LYNETTE PEREZ: 35, insurance customer service rep, 4th great-granddaughterĤ. NAPATHALYAH PARKER: 10 months, 5th great-grandsonģ. MELISSA LINZY ARCHIE: 48, registered nurse, 3rd great-granddaughterĢ. Still, seeing their forefather's ordeal writ large has stirred fresh emotions and renewed hopes that Northup's story - and, by extension, the personal experience of all slaves - will not be forgotten.ġ. Many in Northup's direct lineage have known about their ancestor's odyssey from an early age - he has been the subject of many a school project - and several return to his hometown of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., annually for the city's Solomon Northup Day, which just celebrated its 15th year. 'It was hard to watch, knowing it was someone who had a hand in creating me,' says Leonard Holton Jr., 28, a fourth great-grandson of Northup who lives in Alexandria, Va. But it's the fact that 12 Years a Slave is based on the real-life events of Solomon Northup's kidnapping and eventual escape that makes the film truly powerful - especially for his descendants. It's one of the most visceral depictions of American slavery ever committed to the screen. This story first appeared in the March 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Click the photo to view portraits of Northup's descendants.

Solomon northup descendants