Precious: adverb 1. Very; extremely (c. 1595) <she has precious little to hope for, but she rises to overcome> noun 2. A gripping, critically praised, triple Sundance-winning, box-office record-breaking indie feature about the triumph of literacy over adversity, starring Gabourey Sidibe, directed by Lee Daniels, and based on the controversial novel Push by Sapphire adjective 3. Something highly esteemed; beloved; cherished <as in the powerful, unique stories discovered and brought to life by art collector and executive producer Lisa Cortes.

Lisa Cortes, a hot commodity in her own right has a curious history of collecting stories and bringing them to the forefront of her professional world—be they rooted in art, music, or cinema. Notoriously on point, Cortes’s eclectic, folk-based, cultured taste boasts a collection of stories that the growing critical masses consider extremely valuable. With an unflinching mission to feature innovative artists and transgressive works that are also accessible, Cortes’s gut instincts—as a collector, collaborator, and nurturer of the arts—have positioned her subtly yet squarely on the pulse of pop culture. Whether she’ll feature it in her home, get it on to the turntables, or position it for the silver screen, she clocks it then brings it.  

Along the beaming white walls of Cortes’ spacious Dumbo loft can be found a provocative array of emerging artists’ works: Mose T, whom she tags as a visionary who’s, “been known to put his pubic hair on his paintings; not for spectacle sake, but because it’s a picture of his penis.” Then there’s a favorite of hers, Katherine Bernhardt, who rocks it with her, “in your face, fierce model warriors.” An early Kehinde Wiley admirer, Cortes fancies his post-postmodern aesthetic of painting, “young Black men who hearken back to Old World portraits, yet planting them squarely in the present.” Drawn directly on her foyer wall is an on-the-spot rendering by Iona Rozeal, whom Cortes digs for her works that, “give you black face, Afro-Samurai women based on traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e wood block prints.”

“I don’t want to produce cookie cutter films,” Cortes leans in to share her not-so-secret secret. Having collaborated thrice as a producer with Lee Daniels—on The Woodsman (2004) about an embattled sex offender; Shadowboxer about a terminally-ill female assassin who has a dangerous liaison with her stepson (2005), and Tennessee (2008) about two brothers and death looming on their roadtrip—taking on Precious was a sound leap of faith in terms of her consistent appreciation and keenness to cultivate often disregarded outside-o'f-the-box expression. Centering on Claireece Precious Jones, an illiterate, obese, pregnant teen determined to raise herself above the tragic circumstance that surround her, in a family rife with abuse, the story is one about finding love that Cortes felt compelled to help birth on-screen.

Jumping outside-of-the-box again, this time to flaunt its unique power, Precious is rewriting box-office history “having had the highest opening weekend gross of any film debuting on 50 screens or less—surpassing The Blair Witch Project.” Double-checking these impressive box-office facts with Lisa tonight, V caught up with her just as she discovered she was sold out of her own Tuesday night screening. Things are looking up; the heat is rising. L.A. Collins

L.A. Collins You connect the dots, big-time, between being a producer and an appreciator/collector of art — do tell!
Lisa Cortes When I first started collecting art it was because of the narrative in the work. I was 13 and I bought a colorful, spirited Haitian market scene. Whether abstract or literal, I’m drawn to an artists’ interpretation of an aspect of their reality. Not mine. These images take me to different places and expand my perception in terms of what it can be like going from ‘A to Z’ from varied angles. What’s funny is that the last art I bought from Haiti is quite opposite the first — it’s very political and depicts the U.S. invasion.
L.A. Collins You’re hot for bold visualists — who are some of the artists you have in your personal collection? Any ties to the world of Precious?
Lisa Cortes Some of the artists include Iona Rozeal Brown, Katherine Bernhardt, Kehinde Wiley, and Mose T. The common denominator in the stories that I like to tell as a producer and the artists I collect is that it’s about language — be it visual, spoken, musical, etc. The messages transcend the medium. They emulate and reflect a truth, a narrative. In the range of artists in my collection, traditional technique meets the contemporary, and I see reflections of myself. The same happens with Precious’ sense of herself as her story unfolds. She sees herself in art, and politics through the power of the word.

L.A. Collins Most folks by now know about Tyler Perry and Oprah excitedly coming onboard as executive producers after Sundance. What’s your role and how did you get involved?
Lisa Cortes I’m an Executive producer on Precious. I’ve been involved from conception to christening. I'm a translator, cultivator, and facilitator. I'm there to support the director's vision and to bring in all the supplemental aspects, from the talent we see in front and behind the camera; to the execution of the vision; to the delivery and marketing of the film. I interact with all facets of the project. I read the book, Push, in 1996 when it was first published and thought it captured not only a N.Y. that I came of age in (1986), but also a lot of young girls that I see. After Monster’s Ball when the production company was started, it was one of the 1st projects that we went after.
L.A. Collins Sapphire’s novel Push is so socially/emotionally explosive. Do you recall your initial thoughts post reading the first chapter?    
Lisa Cortes I read the book in one sitting. I had to remind myself to start breathing when I finished because I had completely gone into this world and lost myself there.
L.A. Collins The story is set over two decades back. You being a current Brooklyn-ite, how does 1987’s New York compare to today’s scene?
Lisa Cortes In 1987, I was fresh out of Yale and part of the original team at Def Jam records/Rush Artist Management. New York was a gritty canvas. We used to step on crack vials outside our office on Elizabeth Street. Everywhere you looked something new was popping up. Graffiti. Hip hop. The best after hour clubs. It was pre-Giuliani. New York was affordable and nurturing for artists. Now many artists have been forced out. I feel like everywhere I turn, steel and glass buildings are replacing the old New York.
L.A. Collins Was it an insane process trying to get late eighties period costumes, hair, and design to fill the screen?
Lisa Cortes [Laughs] Lots of research — looked at Jamal Shabazz’s Back In the Days; Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning; music videos. Conversations about what hairstyles black girls were rocking then. Photos from our personal collections. I have a special wardrobe credit — cuz I’m a pack-rat and went in my closet to get vintage drag for Precious and Mary. Look closely and you’ll see Mo’Nique sporting a Betsey Johnson jumpsuit!
L.A. Collins What’s your favorite look that Ms. Gabby gave in the movie?
Lisa Cortes The All That Jazz/Bob Fosse inspired fantasy with feathers and sequins [adorning Precious]. Queen Latifah’s “Come into my House” is playing.

L.A. Collins Precious has such a layered popping soundtrack! Can you talk about your (industry) roots in the music world as a fellow-Blatina!
Lisa Cortes I was sneaking into clubs at a very young age and lived through the disco, hip hop and punk eras with equal fervor. Then I was a part of the original dream team at Def Jam and Rush. It was a great time of expanding not only music tastes, but also cultural consciousness. Music created then was a direct result of beats, art, and style coming together in their own mezcla (mixture). Music is not only the backdrop to Precious’ life but it also reflects her internal world. And as her sense of herself in the world grows, so does its scope. That’s why you’ll hear opera diva Martina Arroyo and Mahalia Jackson in the same scene. Martina became involved because she’s a family friend and I asked if we could use her recording of “Libera Me.” Also on the set there’s always music. When a heavy scene was over the music would come on and we would dance.
L.A. Collins Given Precious’ intense subject-matter — incest, physical abuse, and beyond — were you concerned at first about raising funds, or whether audiences would give the movie a chance?
Lisa Cortes The amazing novel led the way. I had never read or seen a story like this before which is what made it so interesting in realizing as a film. I don’t want to produce cookie cutter films. As a producer you take your passion and commitment and use that to realize your project. If I ever became fearful about the intensity of the project I never would have embarked on any of the other films I’ve produced, i.e., The Woodsman.
L.A. Collins And while being INTENSE, there’s also quite a dose of whimsy — was finding the “right” tone a concern?
Lisa Cortes A lot of the tone — which is a balance of humor and pathos — comes from the book. The director [Lee Daniels] and screenwriter [Geoffrey Fletcher] also brought the moments that allow the viewer to share in the joy of Precious’ journey. It has a balance of light and dark. Precious’ voice and POV is quite amusing. She might be illiterate, but she’s not stupid. She has a wry observational voice. One of my favorite lines is when Precious says, “Miss Rain [her teacher] says that the longest journey begins with a single step -- whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
L.A. Collins Gabby is so arresting in her feature acting debut. What ‘gifts’ did she bring to the film — and perhaps to ‘precious girls’ ignored at-large?
Lisa Cortes [Smiles] Gabby is beautiful, smart, funny, intuitive. A fierce first-time actress. I love how she’s taught people to re-look at plus sized gals. We have boyfriends and are smart. She upsets the apple cart and shows people that even though she’s so believable, she’s not playing herself. This is not a documentary of her life.
L.A. Collins Mariah Carey recently shared how liberated she felt in being forced to NOT wear a stitch of make-up for her role. What was it like on set with two mega-musicians: Mariah and Lenny Kravitz?
Lisa Cortes Anyone who signed onto this project knew the world they had to embrace. One had to leave everything behind, strip down to their essential self — and put themselves on the altar. Lenny arrived in Coney Island all by himself. What people don’t realize is that Mariah and Lenny are great artists, not just great musicians. To connect with people as they do, they have to tap into a broad range of emotions and project to millions of people. This film gave them the platform to work their magic in another arena.

L.A. Collins Mo’Nique serves-up a stunning (dysfunctional mom) performance. Hello Oscar nom! What did you think when you first saw the dailies coming in?
Lisa Cortes I thought that Mo’Nique was taking no prisoners; that I admired her bravery for not being afraid to show pimples and all in order to be raw and open. That she used her own personal pain (which she didn’t disclose at the time) as a victim of abuse in the creation of the character [of Precious’ mother]; but when the cameras stopped she was the nicest and brightest person to be around. The character Mary is a monster, but Mo’Nique made her human, and made us look at the character’s complexity.
L.A. Collins This being your fourth time, what’s so very special about your collaboration with Lee Daniels? How do you enhance one another? 
Lisa Cortes Lee and I are born on the same day (but he’s older than me), and there’s a lot of ying and yang in our process. We both learned to embrace, dance with, and dress up our eclecticism and incorporate it into our art. Opera and fried chicken occupy the same spectrum. It all started with Monster’s Ball and includes The Woodsman, Shadowboxer, and Tennessee.
L.A. Collins You must have quite a few projects in the hopper, but do tell some of the upcoming projects you’re working on?
Lisa Cortes A film version of Pulitzer prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s Mud, River, Stone to be directed by Tony Gerber. Executive producing a prize-winning documentary, Oscar’s Comeback, in post-production; it’s directed by Lisa Collins and Mark Schwartzburt about a collision on the Prairie with controversial black film pioneer Oscar Micheaux. Collaborating with a few visual artists creating narrative films. And developing a musical with pretty dresses!

Lisa Cortes in NYC, October 2009
Photography Dietmar Busse
Makeup and hair Heather Thomas

Precious is out now from Lions Gate.

www.weareallprecious.com

< PREVIOUS   NEXT >

7 COMMENTS

SEND TO A FRIEND