What Do The Critics Say?

"A cry from the heart told with an emotional charge that takes your breath away." Allan Hunter DAILY EXPRESS "A vitally honest and emotionally compelling film that hits you in the gut." Pete Hammond BACK STAGE "A Precious gem of a movie: fragile and strong at the same time." Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel 3 BLACK CHICKS REVIEWS "Sidibe, in her screen debut, is silently shattering." Michael W Phillips Jr GOAT DOGS MOVIES "The most intense, intimate and inspirational film since Slumdog Millionaire." Robbie Collin NEWS OF THE WORLD "Precious is a far from pleasant cinemagoing experience but a worthwhile one." Ben Rawson-Jones DIGITAL SPY "Hard to watch at times but you’ll be glad you did in the end." Rev Chris Carpenter ORANGE COUNTY & LONG BEACH BLADE

"A special movie with that rare, stand up and take notice, shout it from the hilltops sort of specialness." Jordan Hill BANG IT OUT "Features a fiercely intelligent performance by newcomer Sidibe." Robert Levin FILM SCHOOL REJECTS "Hopeful, heartbreaking and thought-provoking, one of the best movies of the year." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "A superbly directed, powerfully emotional drama with a sharply written script and terrific performances." Matthew Turner VIEW LONDON "Broad strokes in storytelling .. subtle performances from the talented cast." Alex Zane SUN ONLINE "You will see one of the most remarkable performances ever set to film, given by Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS "A moving mix of melodrama and social tract graced by courage, heart, soul and a lumbering but resilient heroine." Matt Mueller TOTAL FILM

Who's Playing Who?

Gabourey Sidibe Mo'Nique 'Bear' Paula Patton Mariah Carey Sherri Shepherd Lenny Kravitz Stephanie Andujar Chyna Layne Amina Robinson Xosha Roquemore Angelic Zambrana Aunt Dot Nealla Gordon Grace Hightower Kimberly Russell Bill Sage

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Precious Mary Carl Ms Rain Mrs Weiss Cornrows Nurse John Rita Rhonda Jermaine Joann Consuelo Tootsie Mrs Lichtenstein Social Worker Katherine Mr Wicher

The Inside Story "Precious" is the kind of story that is rarely told, about a character who society usually writes off, judges as a statistic, or simply ignores. It is a story of sometimes shocking truth that nonetheless touches on universal emotions and aspirations. You might not pay attention to Precious if she passed you on the street, but her story will sear your heart. Producer/Director Lee Daniels first read Sapphire’s novel Push when it was published in 1996. "I had to take a breath, it affected me so much. I knew so many people who were just moments away from being the characters in the book: they were extremely identifiable to me on every human level." Daniels also identified with the book’s 1980s setting: "I understood the lingo, the political and cultural world she wrote about, because it was my world at the time. And of course I responded to what everyone does when they read it: the uncompromising honesty of her story-telling." "Push" was the first novel written by Sapphire, a New York based poet previously known for her performances and her poetry and prose collection "American Dreams" (1994), filled with raw and vivid portraits of people whose lives have been blighted by poverty, violence, and abuse. "These people are not invisible," says Sapphire. "We hear about them every day. But they are totally misunderstood, and I wanted to show what’s behind the statistics." Like Ms Rain in her book, Sapphire worked in Harlem teaching reading and writing to teenagers and adults. "The inspiration for "Precious" was the resilience, intelligence, and beauty of the many young women I taught who persevered despite horrendous circumstances in their lives," she says. By any standard, "Push" is an uncompromising, extreme, and shocking book that presents challenges for readers. "I pushed the envelope, because it needed to be pushed," says the author. "The stories I told needed to be told." Daniels ("Monster’s Ball") and debut screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher faced a daunting task: making a film that was true to the spirit of the novel without alienating the audience due to the extreme subject matter. "We knew we couldn’t tell it exactly as written," says Daniels who produced the outstanding 2004 film, "The Woodsman" starring Kevin Bacon & Mos Def. "It was just too hard-core." Daniels found his take on "Precious" by incorporating his own childhood memories into her character. "I was never sexually abused, but I was physically abused," says Daniels. "When bad things happened to me or I saw bad things happen, I would fantasize." Daniels relates a harrowing memory: "When I was twelve, I saw someone killed. I remember very clearly that I went into a bubble and I became a prince in a silver crown, knighting someone with my scepter. I just dropped into a place right there, so I wouldn’t feel the pain. My imagination was God's way of protecting me and keeping me sane." Drawing on Daniels's childhood fantasy life, Fletcher's screenplay allowed "Precious" to temporarily escape the harshness of her reality. Fletcher also re-imagined and elaborated some of the supporting roles: Nurse John (played by Lenny Kravitz), glimpsed only briefly in the book, was essentially a new character who added compassion to Precious's world; and the alternative school receptionist Cornrows (played by Sherri Shepherd) was fleshed out with boyfriend troubles and a cheeky sense of humor. When it came to financing the film, producers Gary Magness and Sarah Siegel-Magness of the Smokewood Entertainment Group (SEG) (who had teamed with Daniels to produce 2008's "Tennessee") stepped up to the plate. "I wasn’t previously familiar with the book," says Sarah Siegel-Magness. "I soon discovered that it had been an important and affecting book for a number of my friends who had read it in high school," says Siegel-Magness. "When my husband and I set up our company, we set off to tell amazing stories, and that’s what Push is. It really doesn’t matter what socio-economic background you have: the book really grips you and pulls you in." Siegel-Magness would take an active role in the production and was present on set every day. "Sarah’s support was unwavering," says Daniels. "She fed a positive force in me to do my very best." Casting Precious would prove to be an enormous challenge. "After you shoot through the agency submissions, the harsh reality hits you," says Daniels. "Hollywood doesn’t exactly turn these girls out." The production set up open casting calls in Los Angeles and New York, led by casting director Billy Hopkins. "We selected a group of ten girls who were from New York, New Jersey, and Maryland," executive producer Lisa Cortés ("The Woodsman") recalls. "None of them had acted before, but they had very strong auditions, and they had the look that we felt depicted Precious properly." The ten young women were then put through an acting 'Boot Camp'. "It was kind of like 'American Idol'. "Each week they would improve and I would eliminate a couple of the girls," says Daniels. But despite their efforts, Daniels wasn't satisfied. "There was no one who Lee felt completely understood the full range of emotions that the character would go through and could play her with full authenticity," says Cortés. Despite production set to begin in mere weeks, Daniels told Hopkins to resume casting. Twenty four year old Harlem resident Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe hadn’t been planning to audition for the film. She had a few college acting credits, but had no ambitions to be an actress. "I didn’t think I would get the part," she remembers. "so why waste the time? But a friend kept urging her, and, coincidentally, her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, who sings in the New York City subway, Penn Station and 14th Street/Union Square, had once been approached to play the mother in an earlier production, so Gabby had read the book. When she read for the part, she did so with minimal preparation, but her spot-on embodiment of the character left the casting directors speechless. Tapes of Sidibe’s audition similarly wowed other members of the production team, leading to a second audition the next day, and a meeting with Lee Daniels. "She wasn’t kissing ass to get the job," says Daniels. "She gave me the facts and just blew me away." Sidibe remembers: "We kept talking, and I was getting kind of antsy about when we were going to get to the audition, and then he just came out and said, 'I want you to be in my movie'. I started crying. It was a very clichéd response, but it had all happened so fast: the first audition was Monday and this was Wednesday to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: boom!" Sidibe revealed: "It’s not hard for me to tap into Precious's emotions because the script is very raw and open. I feel for Precious, so I can be sad and cry when I’m supposed to." Mo'Nique ("Beerfest"), who plays Precious's mother, Mary, explained: "We’re fat girls and we’ve cried a lot! That’s why it comes so easily. We’ve been called fat ass, fat pigs, fat bitch, piggy, porky! So some of those tears are very real." As demanding as it was to cast Precious, Daniels felt that Mo’Nique’s character Mary, was even more difficult. "It’s hard to find Precious, but once you find her, she is the heroine and has the audience’s sympathy. But who could play a macabre character like Mary and make it believable?" Daniels says, "Mo’Nique gave a face to Mary." Mo’Nique concedes that most people might call Mary a monster. "She doesn’t know any other ways. She knows, 'I’m not going to bathe myself, I’m not going to take care of myself, I’m not going to take care of my daughter, I’m not going to take care of anything.' She allows herself to go deeper and deeper into that horrible place. But what happened in her life to make it turn out like this?" Precious’s problems are compounded because she is illiterate. She enrolls in the Each One Teach One Alternative School, where she studies reading and writing with a group of young women whose home lives too, are as challenged as her own. When Precious makes her initial trip to the Each One Teach One school, she meets the school’s receptionist, Cornrows, played by actress/comedienne and co-host of ABC’s "The View", Sherri Shepherd. "When Precious comes in, Cornrows is a little rough on her,” says Shepherd. “Precious interrupts her in the middle of arguing with her boyfriend; but there’s something about Precious's spirit that draws Cornrows to her, more so than any of the other kids in the school." Paula Patton ("Déjà Vu") plays Ms Rain, Precious's dedicated teacher. "Ms Rain is teaching them the basics, but she’s also teaching them how to respect themselves and others," says 2009 BSFC Award winner Patton (Precious"). "She’s sort of like a mom; but a tough love mom." Grammy-winning rock musician Lenny Kravitz ("The Rugrats Movie") plays John, a hospital nurse who takes an interest in Precious. A real friendship develops between John and Precious while they’re in the hospital, and later on, he is the one she runs to after she flees her mother’s home with her baby. "John has a thug background, he’s been in prison," says Daniels, "but he really cares about Precious. He’s sort of like her real-life angel and he takes her under his wing." As soon as she arrived on set, Shepherd ("Guess Who" & "Beauty Shop") realized that Daniels was not going to let her rely on her typical persona. "I came in here and I had my makeup on and I had my wig, and he said, 'I don’t want any of Sherri! I might have to bind your breasts down!' And I said, 'Lee, I love my boobies, don’t bind them! Don’t take my wig away!' But they took away my wig and cornrowed my hair, put on shoulder pads and black lipstick and 1987 fingernail polish. Let me tell you, when you’re wearing cornrows, your head is pulled so tight that you get a facelift!" Daniels pushed all of the cast, taking them out of their comfort zones. "He goes for the unconventional and the unexpected," says Patton. "He pushed me to my limits and forced me to go deeper and deeper." "He won’t accept no for an answer," says Mo’Nique. She adds it like "We can be here all night long. But this is what I need you to deliver to me." When an actress dropped out at the last minute, superstar Mariah Carey, a long-time friend of Daniels and one of the stars of his previous film, "Tennessee", jumped in to play the small role of Mrs Weiss, Precious's social worker. "I insisted that she show up on set at a bare minimum," says Daniels. "Mrs. Weiss is really deglamorized. It was hard for her to do it, but I also think it was a great growing experience for her." Nearly all of "Precious" was shot in New York City in late 2007. The only exceptions were Precious and Mary’s apartment and a fantasy dance routine, both filmed in a studio. The locations stretched from Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood in Manhattan (past 200th Street), through Harlem and all the way to Coney Island Hospital, where the scenes of Precious’ baby’s birth were filmed. The Each One Teach One School was constructed on an empty floor in Brooklyn’s Municipal Building, near City Hall. Synopsis

Harlem 1987. Claireece "Precious" Jones is a sixteen year old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time after being raped by her absent father. At home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, a poisonously angry woman who abuses her both emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, yet somehow Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks while hiding an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. While Precious may sometimes be down, she is never out, for beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, "Each One/Teach One". Under a patient yet firm Ms Rain, Precious will undertake a new journey in life.

The Verdict "A graduate of Washington Irving High School, Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe was pursuing a degree in psychology at Mercy College and working as a telephone customer service representative when she was cast as the lead actress in "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire." Now, before you ask, "Why isn't the film called "Push", like the novel?", here's the answer: it was to avoid confusion with the action sci-fi film "Push" which had been released in 2009. "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire," is a harrowing tale of survival in the face of what many would see as insumountable odds. Precious has been molested from an early age, raped, given birth to two children by the age of sixteen and is illiterate. "We all have our own journey and our own destiny, and it’s a struggle every single day to get through the next minute," says director/producer Lee Daniels. "But if Precious can get through what she gets through, we can absolutely get through it." And therein lies the joy for audiences, for while the journey is harsh, heartbreaking and seriously confronting, "Precious" is a remarkable and inspirational film to experience. How good is this tale of overcoming the odds, no matter what life dishes up? Good enough to receive six nominations at this years Academy Awards (Best: Directing, Screenplay, Editing, Actress in a Leading Role, Actress in a Supporting Role and Motion Picture of the Year). Sidebe ("The Vagina Monologues"), a mountain of a woman who obviously, hasn't allowed her size to hold her back in life, has a simple philosophy: "Do not settle for where you are. If you’re between a rock and a hard place, push yourself out through the side. There’s always room to push further. You are better than you are. All you have to do is push yourself." Those words will provide a challenge to cinemagoers who are tossing up whether or not to see this film. Give yourself a little push. I dare you! 4 1/2 STARS." The Crew

Director Screenplay Adapted from Producers Original Music D.O.P. Film Editor Casting Production Designer Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Design

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Lee Daniels Geoffrey Fletcher the novel "Push" by Sapphire Gary Magness & Sarah Siegel-Magness Mario Grigorov Andrew Dunn Joe Klotz Billy Hopkins & Jessica Kelly Roshelle Berliner Matteo De Cosmo Kelley Burney Marina Draghici

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