In 2012 , Oyelowo appeared in '' Middle of Nowhere '' . Writer-director Ava DuVernay had been a fan of his work and had considered asking him to take the role , however before she could , Oyelowo received the script coincidentally from a friend of a friend of DuVernay 's who happened to be sitting next to him on the plane and was considering investing in the project . The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival to critical raves . That same year Oyelowo appeared in Lee Daniels ' '' The Paperboy '' , which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival . Oyelowo reunited with Daniels the following year in '' The Butler '' . In 2014 , Oyelowo formed his own independent production company , Yoruba Saxon Productions which has co-produced movies that featured him including , '' Nightingale '' , '' Captive '' , '' Five Nights in Maine '' , and most recently , '' A United Kingdom ''
2012 Cannes Film Festival
2012 Cannes Film Festival
David Oyelowo