Query: Lee Daniels directed a film.

Relevant passages:
Lee Daniels <=SEP=> Lee Louis Daniels ( born December 24 , 1959 ) is an American film and television producer and director . He produced Monster 's Ball and directed Precious , which received six Academy Award nominations , including Best Director ; the film won two of the awards .   In 2012 , Daniels directed The Butler , a historical fiction drama featuring an ensemble cast portraying unique events on the 20th century presidents of the United States at the White House . Daniels is also a co-creator , executive producer and director of the television series Empire and Star , which debuted in 2015 and 2016 , respectively .

The Butler <=SEP=> The Butler ( full title Lee Daniels ' The Butler ) is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and produced by Lee Daniels and written by Danny Strong . Loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen , the film stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines , an African-American who is a witness of notable political and social events of the 20th century during his 34-year tenure serving as a White House butler . In addition to Whitaker , the film 's all-star cast also features Oprah Winfrey , John Cusack , Jane Fonda , Alex Pettyfer , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Terrence Howard , Lenny Kravitz , James Marsden , David Oyelowo , Vanessa Redgrave , Alan Rickman , Liev Schreiber , Robin Williams , Mariah Carey and Clarence Williams III . It was the last film produced by Laura Ziskin , who died in 2011 .   The film was theatrically released by The Weinstein Company on August 16 , 2013 , to mostly positive reviews from critics , grossing over $ 176 million worldwide against a budget of $ 30 million .

Precious (film) <=SEP=> Precious : Base on Nol by Saf ( Based on the Novel `` Push '' by Sapphire ) , or simply Precious , is a 2009 American drama film , directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels . Precious is an adaptation by Geoffrey S. Fletcher of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire . The film stars Gabourey Sidibe , Mo'Nique , Paula Patton , and Mariah Carey . This film marked the acting debut of Sidibe .   The film , then without a distributor , premiered to acclaim at both the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and the 2009 Cannes Film Festival , under its original title of Push : Based on the Novel by Sapphire . At Sundance , it won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for best drama , as well as a Special Jury Prize for supporting actress Mo'Nique . After Precious '' ' screening at Sundance in January 2009 , Tyler Perry announced that he and Oprah Winfrey would be providing promotional assistance to the film , which was released through Lionsgate Entertainment . Precious won the People 's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in September . The film 's title was changed from Push to Precious : Based on the Novel `` Push '' by Sapphire , to avoid confusion with the 2009 action film Push . Precious was also an official selection at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival ( particularly the un certain regard section ) .   Lionsgate gave the film a limited release in North America on November 6 , 2009 ( the release was expanded on November 20 ) . Precious received largely positive reviews from critics ; the acting , the story , and its message were generally praised . In the film 's opening weekend in limited release , it grossed $ 1.8 million , putting it in 12th place at the box office . As of February 2010 , the film had grossed over $ 47 million domestically , ranking no. 65 for 2009 , recouping its $ 10 million budget , and making it a box office success.Precious '' received six Academy Award nominations , including one for Best Picture , at the 82nd Academy Awards . Geoffrey Fletcher won for Best Adapted Screenplay . Mo'Nique won the award for Best Supporting Actress , for which she received a standing ovation at the ceremony , along with numerous other accolades .