LOS ANGELES _ “12 Years a Slave,” director Steve McQueen’s harrowing depiction of slavery in America, won top motion picture honors at the 45th NAACP Image Awards on Saturday evening at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Lupita Nyong’o won in the supporting actress category for her role in “12 Years,” and in a separate ceremony Friday evening, McQueen won the Image Award for director and John Ridley for the film’s screenplay.

By beating “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and “Fruitvale Station,” among others, in the motion picture category, “12 Years a Slave” heads into the Academy Awards on March 2 with yet more honors.

It also has won the Golden Globe for motion picture drama, the top BAFTA prize and tied with “Gravity” for the Producers Guild of America Award. It is nominated for nine Oscars.

One Image Awards category that “12 Years” didn’t win was for actor in a motion picture. Forest Whitaker took home the prize for his work in “Lee Daniels’ the Butler,” and he also received the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award for his humanitarian work.

Whitaker’s “Butler” co-star David Oyelowo picked up the prize for supporting actor, and Angela Bassett won the actress prize for “Black Nativity.”

Comedian Kevin Hart was named entertainer of the year Saturday evening; the night before, the Image Awards named Hart outstanding actor in a comedy series for “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” a BET series that also won for comedy series.

“Scandal” won the top prize for drama series, and its star, Kerry Washington, won lead actress. In the TV movie, miniseries or dramatic categories, “Being Mary Jane” won top honors, and its star, Gabrielle Union, won for lead actress. Idris Elba won lead actor for “Luther.”

Among the other winners named in 41 categories that also covered music and literature: Beyonce for female recording artist, John Legend for male recording artist, and K. Michelle for new artist.

In the duo, group or collaboration category, the winner was “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell.

In fiction, Pamela Samuels Young was honored for “Anybody’s Daughter.” In nonfiction, Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer were honored for “Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery.” Debut author honors went to Sheri Booker for “Nine Years Under.”

The 45th Image Awards were voted by members of the NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the U.S.

Anthony Anderson hosted the awards show, and Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the late South African President Nelson Mandela

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