Push

INTERVIEW WITH LISA CORTES
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF PRECIOUS: A FILM BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

Did you read PUSH prior to optioning it for the screen?
I first read Push when it was published in 1996. I was a big fan of the spoken word scene in New York and had seen Sapphire read.

What was the hardest part about adapting the book version, which is rich in narrative and prose, to a screenplay?
The hardest part was living up to the characters and world that Sapphire had so powerfully created and finding creative ways to transpose them and their interior worlds onto the screen. But here's where the magic of film comes into play, we can show/illustrate a fantasy and build upon what was given to us in the book.

Books and films are two very different mediums. Did you work closely with Sapphire to stay true to the original text or did you have to embellish for visual purposes?
Sapphire said "I'm not a filmmaker, I'm a writer" and trusted in the creative team. She read a draft, gave great notes and then let us do our thing. Much of the dialogue in the film is taken directly from the book. The cinematography and special FX were used to translate and expand what Precious' world looks and feels like.

How did you first get into producing?
When I left the music business I was looking for an opportunity to continue working with diverse creative voices. I went back to school and studied film production and film theory. I took my past experience in music and started producing music videos and electronic press kits. I volunteered at festivals and befriended young filmmakers. And then one day Lee Daniels, an old friend, called and said how would you like to come to New Orleans and work on a film that I'm producing? That film was Monster's Ball.

What advice would you give an author who wants to have their book optioned for film or TV?
As Malcom X said "By any means necessary". Connect with filmmakers who you think would be interested in your work. Go to film festivals. Find a professional representative who works in film and television and can shop your material. Promote yourself and your product. Are you tweeting? On Facebook when you make an appearance? Do you let your database know about sales and special awards? You have to "rep" you!

Take us through the book to screen process.
It all begins with passion and vision of what CAN BE. Once you find that project you first have to option the rights to adapt it and then create a script. Next is assembling a creative team and finding the best people to be on screen and behind the screen. Oh yes, money! Budgeting and financial support to produce the film. Production. Post production which encompasses editing and incorporation of music and visual effects. Film Festival Premiere and then in our case a sale to Lionsgate, who are our distributors. And lots of prayer!

How do you feel about all the Oscar buzz and accolades you guys got at all the Film Festivals this year?
This film was 4 years in the making. The blessing is that we were able to do it with great actors and with much love for the integrity of Sapphire's book. Recognition is fantastic and always welcome but it's the work that will live on forever.