Superstars Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah attended the “The Secret Life of Bees” press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, Canada earlier this week.

The Secret Life of Bees, adapted and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood from the best-selling book by Sue Monk Kidd, weaves racism and the civil rights movement around the story of Lily (Dakota Fanning), a young white girl taken in by three African-American sisters when she runs away from her controlling, emotionless father. It’s a role that’s in some ways reminiscent of the character Fanning played in Hounddog, a film that was critically panned and rather controversial for having a scene in which Fanning’s character was raped.

Jennifer Hudson plays a maid (Rosaleen), Queen Latifah plays an independent black business woman name August Boatwright and Alicia keys plays June, who plays the cello and teaches music.