The premiere of Lee Daniel‘s 6-time Academy Award nominated film PRECIOUS, hosted by YEAHBO.DOT.NET and sponsored by Sarita took place on Sunday, 28 February 2010, at Nu Metro Montecasino.

Beginning with a pre-cocktail party where eats and drinks were served to the stomachs content, the guests had no idea what an emotional roller-coaster ride was awaiting them at the theatre. As they mingled, they chatted unknowingly or speculatively about what PRECIOUS was about.

After the refreshments, the guests were requested to make their way to the theatre when the film was to be screened. Once everybody was seated, editor and owner of YEAHBO.DOT.NET, Khetha Mkhize, entered with a microphone in hand. This was a sign that the film the guests were here to watch was about to be screened. He introduced himself and greeted everybody with a warm welcome. He spoke briefly about PRECIOUS, careful not to say much as he said he wanted the audience to form their own, non-influenced opinions.

The afternoon got even better when he started speaking about some goodies he was going to give away. The 3 Sarita hampers given to 3 random guests (selected from random seat numbers) contained Sarita mini cooler bags, Sarita scarves, PRECIOUS original soundtrack, Mariah Carey CD’s and Mary J Blige CD’s. That’s still not all. Universal Music had actually sponsored about 50 more CD’s from both Mary J Blige (who together with director Lee Daniels executive-produced the soundtrack album) and Mariah Carey catalogues. These were stuck by tape under random seats and as he mentioned this, a big commotion transpired as the guests fumbled their way under the seats to check if they were the lucky ones.

After it had quietened down, he continued speaking about the cast and crew of the film PRECIOUS. He also made a joke about feeling sorry for those that didn’t have Kleenex tissues implying the film was to make them cry. He thanked the guests for coming once again, the sponsors, and finished the speech to audience huge applause. Within a few minutes,the film started and the roller-coaster ride had begun.

PRECIOUS has a gripping story, sterling performances and many other qualities making for an amazing cinema experience. It’s a powerful film, heavy, but at the same time uplifting. It’s easy to understand why it’s nominated for 6 Oscars, including nods for Best Picture, Best Direction for director Lee Daniels (whose visceral nature as director made this a winner for him), and Best Actress for Mo’Nique, as well as Best Supporting Actress for newcomer Gabby Sidibe.

PRECIOUS opens at cinemas across the country this coming Friday, 05 March 2010, ahead of the Oscar winners announcement on Sunday, 07 March 2010. Be sure to check it out.