Steve McQueen celebrating the Oscar victory of '12 Years a Slave' in 2014. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters In 2014, Steve McQueen made history at the Oscars as the first black director of a Best Picture-winning movie, 12 Years a Slave. It was a heartening moment for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, coming at the end of a telecast that was the most-watched Oscars ceremony in more than a decade.