African-American history and culture scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was a consultant on the film, and researcher David Fiske, co-author of Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave, provided some material used to market the film.
Afroamerički povjesničar i kulturološki znanstvenik Henry Louis Gates Jr. bio je glavni savjetnik na filmu dok se istraživač David Fiske, koautor knjige Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave, pobrinuo nabaviti određeni materijal koji se koristio za snimanje filma.