Sundance Winner 'Precious' Takes Toronto, Too

Last year, the improbable run for Slumdog Millionaire began at the Toronto Film Festival. It won the audience award and had just been picked up by Fox Searchlight on its way to winning a bunch of Oscars and earning over a quarter-billion in the process. Could a similar future be in store for Precious? In addition to already wowing crowds and winning the big awards at Sundance in January, the film picked up the People's Choice Award this weekend in Toronto, which should set it up for a run as the sentimental favorite as the Oscars draw closer. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, we featured it several months ago. Precious is the new title for the film based on the book Push by Sapphire, and is produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry and directed by Lee Daniels. The story of an obese, illiterate Harlem teenager pregnant with her second child and looking to turn her life around stars Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton, and newcomer Gabby Sibide as Precious. In particular, Mo'Nique has gained notice for her performance as Precious' overbearing mother, although Carey appears to show a lot more depth than we'd probably be prepared to admit. So here comes Oscar season...