Sundance Winner "Push" Destined for Court

2/5/2009
John Winn
Push, an independent film based on a novel by author and poet Sapphire--real name Ramona Lofton--may have gotten rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, but if the Weinsteins and Lionsgate Films have anything to do with it, it may not see the light of day.

According to the AP, both Lionsgate and the Weinstein Company have filed dueling lawsuits in court, with both claiming they had a "firm agreement" with the producers of the film adaptation to make and distribute the film.

According to an attorney for the Weinstein Company, Burt Fields, Lionsgate interfered with the agreement between the Weinstein Company and the producers of Push to make the film. However, Lionsgate claims that it is in possession of an affidavit from the producers alleging that they had no contracts with the Weinsteins to make the film.

The novel, about a young woman's coming of age amidst sexual abuse and incest, made headlines in the mid-'90s for its graphic depiction of sexual abuse, and earned praise and scorn, both, from literary critics and social conservatives alike for its gritty portrayal of Harlem's underground.

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