PRECIOUS, the critically acclaimed and award winning film by Lee Daniels is out in select theaters TODAY Friday, November 6, 2009.

Don't miss out on "one of the most important films of this generation" (AOL Black Voices) - Find a theater near you, check showtimes and buy tickets today!

Oprah Winfrey ("this film left me breathless... it split me wide open") and Tyler Perry ("it has the ability and power to change lives") in association with Lionsgate present PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE, starring Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz and introduces Gabourey Sidibe.

Set in Harlem in 1987, PRECIOUS is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want.  She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically.  School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.

Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out.  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.  Precious doesn't know the meaning of "alternative," but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for.  In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.

PRECIOUS was in Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard, and winner of three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.  The film was also the centerpiece of the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival Gala Presentation on September 12, 2009, where it received the festival's 2009 Cadillac People's Choice Award.  PRECIOUS is the only film ever to receive the Audience awards at both Sundance and Toronto.  PRECIOUS has been selected as the 2009 New York Film Festival Centerpiece.

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome.  Get your tickets today at precioustickets.com!

Critics talk about PRECIOUS...

"'Precious' is courageous and uncompromising, a shaken cocktail of debasement and elation, despair and hope. Everyone involved deserves credit for creating a movie so dangerous, problematic and ultimately elevating." - John Anderson, Variety

"It is raw, electrically charged, heart-rending and completely shattering." - Rex Reed, The New York Observer

"See it as soon as you can!" - A.O Scott, At The Movies

"'Precious' leaves you moved like no film in years. It has a spirit that soars" - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"'Precious' simply cannot be missed" - Mary Corliss, TIME

"You feel you've witnessed nothing less than the birth of a soul" - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"In a striking non-star turn, Mariah Carey is credible as a veteran social worker who is jarred by Precious' plight." - Hollywood Reporter

"Among the many delightful surprises in the film is Mariah Carey, who is pitch-perfect as a welfare counselor and serves as this demi-tragedy's Greek chorus. It's possible that many viewers won't recognize her until the final credits, but like so many things about "Precious," the performance is disarming." - Variety

"Precious is great American cinema" - The Associated Press

On its way to the Oscars...

Winner! Sundance Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize

Winner! Sundance Film Festival - Audience Award

Winner! Toronto Film Festival - People's Choice Audience Award

Winner! Chicago Film Festival - Audience Award

Winner! Deauville Film Festival - Jury Prize

Winner! Aspen Film Festival - Audience Award

Winner! Aspen Film Festival - Artist To Watch Award - Paula Patton

Winner! Mill Valley Film Festival - Audience Award

Winner! Milwaukee Film Festival - Audience Award

Winner! San Sebastian International Film Festival - TCM Audience Award

Festival De Cannes - Official Selection - Un Certain Regard