‘Push’ a big winner at Sundance Festival

The movie Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire is the winner of this year’s grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, judges for the Utah event ruled.

The drama from director Lee Daniels not only received the top prize, but was presented with a Sundance audience award for drama and a special jury prize for acting, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

The movie, adapted for the screen by Damien Pearl from the 1997 novel Push by Sapphire, follows a 16-year-old pregnant girl trying to free herself from her controlling mother’s grasp.

The festival, which began Jan. 15 and ended Sunday, also recognized We Live in Public with a U.S. documentary grand jury prize.

The Times said director Kim Longinotto’s Rough Aunties was awarded the event’s world documentary prize, while Afghan Star by Havana Marking took home a world documentary audience award and a world documentary directing award.