For his third full-length movie, the director of the critically-acclaimed Precious (2008) has taken his inspiration from a psychological thriller written by journalist Pete Dexter. The Paperboy is above all a reflection on human behaviour. Before US director Lee Daniels finally brought it to the screen, the script of The Paperboy sat for a long time on Pedro Almodóvar’s bedside table. After the Spanish film-maker dropped the project, Lee Daniels picked it up and set out ...

  Far from the red carpet glamour, the throngs trying to party crash on Main Street, the critics and programmers waiting on lines, there is another Sundance Film Festival taking place behind closed doors. While the Festival does not have an official market, as do such other events as Berlin and Cannes, there is definitely market business going on in private hotel suites and luxurious mountaintop villas. These are the precincts where sleep deprived sales agents hawk their wares to domesti...

  Destined to be one of the most talked about American indies of the year, PARIAH is the dramatic and intimate story of a teenage girl in Brooklyn who juggles conflicting identities and risks family and friendships in a search for sexual expression. The film is the feature debut of Dee Rees, a Nashville-born writer/director, who has obviously drawn on her own personal experience as a black lesbian to find the kernel of truth of the mix of exhilaration and sheer terror of a young girl’s...

  It takes a lot of energy, enthusiasm and patience to handle independent films in this distressed market. The economic depression, the evolution of how film is being watched and the nagging uncertainty of what role the internet plays in it all, have made the independent film distribution not something for the weak of heart. While independent films fight for theater space in a world dominated by the Hollywood majors, it becomes even more important for a company to use innovative techniq...

  It takes a lot of energy, enthusiasm and patience to handle independent films in this distressed market. The economic depression, the evolution of how film is being watched and the nagging uncertainty of what role the internet plays in it all, have made the independent film distribution not something for the weak of heart. While independent films fight for theater space in a world dominated by the Hollywood majors, it becomes even more important for a company to use innovative techniqu...

By Maria Esteves - March 8, 2010 The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony presented by Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) for outstanding film achievements of 2009, co-hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin was held at the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, California, Sunday, March 2, 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT). Live coverage of 2010 Oscar Awards were seen in the U.S. on ABC Television Network, on the internet, and in more than 200 countries worldwide. THE HURT LOCKER received the aw...

Picture gallery from the Independent Spirit Awards Precious swept the 25th anniversary of the Film Independent Spirit Awards taking home the Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, Best Female Lead and Best Supporting Female awards. Precious won in every category for which it was nominated taking 5 awards. ...

 by Marla LewinLenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey celebrate with Lee Daniels at Spirit AwardsLee Daniels' Precious swept the 25th anniversary of the Film Independent Spirit Awards taking home the Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, Best Female Lead and Best Supporting Female awards. Precious won in every category for which it was nominated taking 5 awards. The other winners were lucky that Precious didn't have any male actors nominated and Lee Daniels wasn't a first time filmmaker....

My friend, Ellen told me she was having a discussion with a neighbor about Precious and this person said they felt the film was patronizing. She in turn asked me if I thought so too? My response: I know the definition of the word "patronizing", but how would I put it in my own words - when someone feels superior in some manner and gives due or agrees with someone else, for that other person's benefit, but not because they really feel it. Since the film "Precious" is...

Independently financed films surpassed those from the major studios in Tuesday’s Academy Awards® nominations among all categories, as well as in the top categories of Best Picture, Director, Actor/Actress and Supporting Actor/Actress, according to figures released today from the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA).Films from independents received 79 overall Oscar nominations versus 42 for the majors, while in the top categories independents obtained 21 nominations to 14 for the majo...

  In the 81 year history of the Academy Awards, nearly 500 films have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Up until now, not a single film that was directed by a black filmmaker has been included on that list. However, this year, with the critical and popular success of the urban indie drama PRECIOUS, that ignoble record could be history. PRECIOUS, directed by Lee Daniels, has undergone a fascinating journey to become the "it" film of the indie film season.....a jo...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues its tradition of honoring the year's standout performers by presenting The 2010 Chopin Virtuosos Award to Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan, Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Stuhlbarg, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.  The Award presentation, sponsored by Chopin Vodka, will take place Sunday, February 7 at the Lobero Theatre at the 25th edition of the festival, which runs February 4-14, 2010.   The ...

Mariah Carey on Oscar TrailToday it was announced that Mariah Carey will be honored at the Capri, Hollywood Film Festival on Monday, December 28 with the “Capri Award for Supporting Actress of the Year 2009” for her outstanding performance in the critically acclaimed feature film Precious. The festival runs from December 28, 2009, through January 2, 2010. Capri is a stunning island off the coast of Naples, located only 20 miles from the mainland, it's a popular destination for day trips. Mar...

Mariah Carey - Precious(c)Lionsgateby Marla LewinToday it was announced that Mariah Carey will be honored at the Capri, Hollywood Film Festival on Monday, December 28 with the “Capri Award for Supporting Actress of the Year 2009” for her outstanding performance in the critically acclaimed feature film Precious. The festival runs from December 28, 2009, through January 2, 2010. Capri is a stunning island off the coast of Naples, located only 20 miles from the mainland, it's a popular desti...

The 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Mariah Carey with the Breakthrough Performance Award for her performance in Lionsgate's Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" By Sapphire. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will kick off the 2010 awards season on Tuesday, January 5 at the Palm Springs Convention Center and will be hosted by "Entertainment Tonight's" Mary Hart. The Festival runs January 5-18, 2010. Festival chairman Haro...

Dogtooth, Sin Nombre and Precious are the big Winners at the 20th edition of the 2009 Stockholm International Film Festival The jury now presents its selection for the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival. The film that leaves Stockholm with the 16 lb Bronze Horse 2009 comes from Greece, and tells a thought-provoking story that takes us into a nightmarish and metaphorical experiment of manipulation and oppression. The Bronze Horse for best feature 2009 goes to "Dogtooth" by Yorgos Lanthim...

Festival Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool today announced the final program details for the 6th edition of the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), which takes place December 10-17, 2009. This year, the Festival will showcase 68 films from 26 countries, including 38 features of which several are world or international premieres and nearly all Bahamian premieres. The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Spirit of Freedom: Documentary; New Vi...

The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), announced today the two features that will bookend the Festival as the Opening and Closing Night films. Bahamian filmmaker Kareem Mortimer's acclaimed indie drama CHILDREN OF GOD will raise the curtain at this year's festival as the official Opening Night Film while Lee Daniels' critically lauded drama PRECIOUS starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd and Paula Patton will bring the week's festivities to an end as the ...

  Link to video interview with director Lee Daniels of the American indie hit PRECIOUS, on stage at the Jacob Burns Film Center, New York on Monday, November 9: http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/films/precious-moreinfo ...