Steve McQueen, the Oscar-winning British director, has been knighted. In the United Kingdom, he will now be known as Sir Steve McQueen.
McQueen was knighted on Tuesday at Windsor Castle after winning an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for his film "12 Years a Slave." Princess Anne (also known as the Princess Royal) stepped in to do the honors as Queen Elizabeth II's health deteriorated, tapping the director on both shoulders with a ceremonial sword.
The famed director reportedly attended the ceremony with his mother, Mary.
McQueen, who became the first Black filmmaker to win an Oscar for best picture with “12 Years a Slave,” is also known for his feature “Shame,” starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan which won a BAFTA for outstanding British film, and his recent series “Small Axe,” an anthology of films set in the 1960s and ’80s charting the lives of West Indian immigrants in London. It starred Letitia Wright and John Boyega.
His next project, a feature called “Blitz,” is set to go into production this year with New Regency. McQueen’s production company Lammas Park will produce alongside Working Title Films.
Despite the lack of details about the future project, McQueen addressed it with Princess Anne during the ceremony, according to the Daily Mail: "'Blitz' is the one we're working on, which we expect to start some time in the autumn." This is what we're attempting to achieve with London, starting in 1940, and we'll see how it turns out.
