TO BE HONORED AT MY FRIEND’S PLACE GALA “ENDING YOUTH HOMELESSNESS: A BENEFIT FOR MY FRIEND’S PLACE” EVENT ON SATURDAY, APRIL 6 AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

Hollywood, CA – (March 25, 2019) – My Friend’s Place (myfriendsplace.org), a nonprofit homeless youth resource center providing 31 years of providing vital, life-changing services to tens of thousands homeless youth in Los Angeles, will honor Academy Award nominated filmmaker Lee Daniels at its annual Gala event, “Ending Youth Homelessness: A Benefit For My Friend’s Place,” on April 6, 2019 at the Hollywood Palladium. This was announced today by the organization’s Executive Director Heather Carmichael, along with event co-chairs Gregory Butler, CEO & Co-Founder of ReCain and Shadow Science /Co-Creator-Executive Producer of a new A&E investigative series for Fall 2019; and Anticipate Productions Founder Chase Simonds.

Lee Daniels joins previously announced honorees GRAMMY nominated singer/songwriter Halsey, actress, dancer, model Maddie Ziegler, actress, dancer, and singer Mackenzie Ziegler, and fashion brand ModCloth.

The Gala is open to the public and ticket/sponsorship package information is available at: http://www.mfpgala.givesmart.com,

LEE DANIELS

Lee Daniels is an Academy Award® nominated filmmaker whose work is trademarked by authenticity and candor, providing audiences with a unique and refreshing experience and character insight with each of his projects. In 2013 he released the critically acclaimed box office smash LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER, an epic drama set against the tumultuous political backdrop of 20th century America that tells the story of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African American butler who served at the White House during seven presidential administrations between 1957 and 1986. The film, released in August 2013,

held the number one box office spot for three consecutive weeks and has to date grossed over $175 million worldwide.

Daniels is widely known for his Academy Award winning film PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE. The film was adapted from the New York Times-bestselling novel Push by Sapphire (a.k.a. Ramona Lofton). PRECIOUS was nominated for six Academy Awards, including nominations for Daniels in the category of “Achievement in Directing” and “Best Motion Picture of the Year, and wins in the categories of “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” and “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.”

Daniels was the first African American to be nominated for a Director’s Guild of America Award for “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film” on behalf of PRECIOUS. The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, only the third film in Festival history to do so. It was also nominated for three Golden Globe awards including “Best Picture Drama,” and was nominated for eight NAACP Image Awards, six of which it won, in categories including “Outstanding Motion Picture” and “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, Theatrical or Television.” The film also garnered a total of five 2010 Independent Spirit Awards, including “Best Feature” and “Best Director.”

SHADOWBOXER marked Daniels’ directorial debut. Following the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Daniels was also nominated for the New Directors Award at the 2006 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Daniels’ production company, Lee Daniels Entertainment, made its feature film debut with MONSTER’S BALL, making Daniels the sole African-American producer of an Oscar®-winning and Oscar®-nominated film. Daniels also produced THE WOODSMAN which was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards. The film received the CICAE Arthouse Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Deauville International Film Festival, and Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review.

In 2012, Daniels released THE PAPERBOY, which he wrote, directed, and also produced. The film, which stars Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, John Cusack, and Nicole Kidman, is based on the 1995 novel by Pete Dexter that centers on a reporter (McConaughey) and his younger brother (Efron), who investigate the events surrounding a murder to exonerate a man on death row (Cusack). The film premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and was released by Millennium Entertainment.

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MFP / GALA SOCIAL MEDIA:

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