“12 Years A Slave’s” true lead role goes to Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Solomon Northup, the film’s protagonist, but posters in Italy make him out to be anything but the star.

In fact, actor Brad Pitt who plays the small role as a Canadian man who aides in the release of the enslaved Solomon Northup, is presented as the film’s lead character.

From Huffington Post:

Played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Northup appears in almost every scene in Steve McQueen’s film, and it’s his journey into hell that is chronicled in “12 Years A Slave.”

As first posted by Tumblr user Carefree Black Girl, and picked up on Twitter and other social media sites, the Italian “12 Years A Slave” poster makes Pitt, a producer on the film, the focal point, with Ejiofor relegated to secondary status in the lower portion of the artwork.

Read more at Huffington Post

A Flickr gallery of other images advertising the film in Italy also highlight white characters in the film. Co-star Micheal Fassbender is highlighted in many of the images, with Ejiofor appearing in a more secondary position.

Could the company be highlighting more prominent/popular actors who just happen to be white?

Or is this just plain racist?

Sound off below!