Precious Up for Five Spirit Awards

Los Angeles, CA (December 1, 2009 – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, a film based on a book by Yaddo author Sapphire and executive produced by Lisa Cortes, a Member of The Corporation of Yaddo, is nominated for five 2010 Film Independent Spirit Awards, it was announced today.

Scoring five nods tied Precious for the most nominations for the 2010 awards. A big winner on the film festival circuit this year, beginning with both the grand jury prize and audience award at Sundance in January, the film is in the running for Spirit Awards in the following categories: best feature, best director (Lee Daniels), best first screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher), best female lead (newcomer Gabourey Sidibe), and best supporting female (Mo'Nique).

Precious stars Sidibe as an obese Harlem teenage mother struggling to overcome seemingly impossible odds. Mo'Nique plays her abusive mother. Both have received wide praise for their work in the emotionally charged story.

Film Independent is an open enrollment and non-profit membership organization that champions independent film. Eligible films must be at least 70 minutes long, and the cost of the completed film, including post-production, must be under $20 million. Nominated films must have been shown in a commercial theater for at least one week between January 1 and December 31, 2009 or shown at one of a number of select film festivals during the same time period.

Winners of the 2010 Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Los Angeles on March 5, two days before the Oscars.

For more information about Precious, click here.