The Color Purple Earns SOFEE
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) Women’s
Committee is pleased to announce that “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.) will receive the Seal
of Female Empowerment in Entertainment. Called the “SOFEE,” the Seal recognizes
outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective
through authentically told female-driven stories.
Taraji P. Henson, who plays Shug Avery, said, “Thank you to the Critics Choice Association.
There would be no ‘The Color Purple’ without true sisterhood both on and off screen. Sharing
this with my sisters Fantasia and Danielle is a real treat. And a big thank you to Ms. Oprah
Winfrey for her guidance and leadership through it all.”
Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia, said, “The women in ‘The Color Purple’ empower each other
in different ways throughout their lives and my sisters, Taraji and Fantasia, and I did that for each
other every day. Thank you, Critics Choice Association, for honoring these women and thank
you to the supreme Ms. Oprah Winfrey for bringing us all together to tell this timeless story.”
Fantasia Barrino, who plays Celie, said, “What an honor, Critics Choice Association! Thank you
for recognizing these roles where we had to empathize with the needs of the characters we
portrayed, which in turn compelled us to face and accept our own healing. Having a true
sisterhood on set allowed both the characters and the women playing them to raise a powerful
standard within. Thank you to Oprah for shouldering this movie’s potential for decades, because
we now stand on them; Taraji for bringing the spark and fire of our inner strength as only she
could and for teaching me how to separate Celie’s trauma from the triumphs present in my own
life; and my sister Danielle for her unapologetic response to the many challenges life presents to
all of us as women!”
“With phenomenal performances by an all-star ensemble, ‘The Color Purple’ takes audiences on
an emotional journey of friendship and self-discovery,” said Tara McNamara, Chair of the CCA
Women’s Committee. “Nominated for five Critics Choice Awards, including Best Picture, this
lively Oprah Winfrey-produced musical drama is a vibrant testament to resilience and the power
of sisterhood.”
Opening exclusively in theaters in North America on December 25th, “The Color Purple” is
produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones.
The film stars Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), SAG
Award winner and Tony Award nominee Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple,” “Orange Is the
New Black”), Tony nominee and Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo (“Euphoria,” “Ma
Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Tony Award nominee Corey Hawkins (“Six Degrees of Separation,”
“In the Heights”), Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist H.E.R. (“Judas and the Black Messiah”),
Grammy nominee Halle Bailey (“The Little Mermaid”), Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
(“King Richard,” “Ray”), and Grammy-winning artist Fantasia Barrino in her major motion
picture debut.
“The Color Purple” is directed by Blitz Bazawule, a multi-media artist who was a co-director on
Beyonce’s “Black is King” and made his feature debut with the critically acclaimed
Afrofuturistic “The Burial of Kojo.” The screenplay is by acclaimed playwright Marcus Gardley,
who won a WGA Award for “Maid.” His script is based on the novel by Alice Walker and based
on the musical stage play, book (of the musical stage play) by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics
by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.
Joining director Bazawule behind the camera are a roster of acclaimed artisans, including
Oscar-nominated director of photography Dan Laustsen (“The Shape of Water”), Oscar-winning
production designer Paul Denham Austerberry (“The Shape of Water”), editor Jon Poll
(“Bombshell,” “Meet the Parents”), costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (“Glory,”
“One Night in Miami…”) and choreographer Fatima Robinson (“Dreamgirls”). The music is by
Oscar nominee Kris Bowers (“King Richard,” “Green Book,” documentary short “A Concerto Is
a Conversation”).
“The Color Purple” received a near-perfect score in the numerical formula that is used to
determine if new titles, nominated by CCA Women’s Committee members, are eligible for a
SOFEE. Qualifying projects will have a prominent female character arc, give female characters
at least equal screen time to male characters, have female leaders behind the scenes, and pass
elements highlighted in the Bechdel test. To be considered, new film and television releases must
possess an artistic and storytelling value and exceptionality, and score at least 7 out of a possible
10 points in the SOFEE rubric, which can be found at CriticsChoice.com.
The Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment is issued by the CCA Women’s Committee.
Members include Tara McNamara (Chair), Hillary Atkin, Semira Ben-Amor, Christina Birro,
Lauren Bradshaw, Jamie Broadnax, TJ Callahan, Catalina Combs, Marriska Fernandes, Toni
Gonzales, Teri Hart, Laura Hurley, Susan Kamyab, Destiny Jackson, Lilly Liu, Emma Loggins,
Louisa Moore, Gayl Murphy, Mary Murphy, Jana Nagase, Sherin Nicole, Patricia Puentes,
Christina Radish, Amanda Salas, Rachel Smith, Sammi Turano, Lynn Venhaus, Lauren
Veneziani, and Federica Volpe, as well as Board member Grae Drake.
