”Precious” Director Lee Daniels on Film's Success: “It's a Nice Ride”

Director Lee Daniels said last night he is relishing the excitement of the six Oscar nods his powerful Harlem-based movie "Precious" has garnered.

“It’s a nice ride,” the filmmaker told Niteside at the New York premiere of the HBO documentary "The Black List: Volume Three" at the Paley Center for Media Wednesday night. 

Daniels, who is featured in the documentary, is only the second African-American filmmaker to receive a Best Director nod but said his level of excitement about the Oscars is on par with other accolades the film has earned.

I’m just as excited about the [NAACP] Image Awards noms too,” he said.

“I’m equally as excited,” said Daniels. “I’m a filmmaker. I’m a gay filmmaker. I’m a black, gay filmmaker at heart.”

Other notable figures like Reverend Al Sharpton and Bronx-based eco-activist Majora Carter attended the Midtown screening. While the evening was largely a classy to-do, a playful Daniels and "Black List" co-star and wife of Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson, snuck in some cheeky fun on the red carpet, and Daniels yelled, “LaTanya just grabbed my a--!”

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