Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah and the Bee takes a look at the life of an intelligent eleven-year-old girl, Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), growing up in south Los Angeles. In this heart-warming drama, Akeelah discovers that she has a talent when it comes to spelling words. Akeelah has a desire to enter into a spelling contest and, despite objections from her mother Wanda (Angela Basset), Keke enters a contest. Her spelling skills, along with the help of an outspoken teacher, Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) and the community, take her all the way to the world famous National Spelling Bee. Her educational quest brings a swell of pride to her downtrodden neighborhood as they are brought together to witness the accomplishments and courage of one amazing little girl.

Written and directed by Doug Atchison, Akeelah and the Bee is a Lions Gate Films and 2929 Entertainment production. The film’s producers are Sid Ganis, Nancy Hult Ganis, Danny Llewelyn, Michael Romersa, and Laurence Fishburne; executive producers are Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan and Helen Sugland. Film still in production, release date will change.