AKEELAH AND THE BEE

Year: 2006
USA: Lionsgate Films
UK: Lionsgate Films UK
Cast: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Curtis Armstrong, J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael, Sahara Garey, Lee Thompson Young, Jumper Lark, Julito McCullum, Erica Hubbard, Eddie Steeples, Dalia Phillips, Tzi Ma, Jeris Poindexter, Sara Niemietz, George Hornedo, Craig Wasson, Marjorie Harris, Jacques Bailly, Krysten Leigh Jones, Jeff Marlow, Chloe Conroy, Lee Garlington, Sidney Ganis, Austin Herrera Davis, Janet Borrus, Wolfgang Bodison, Bonita Friedericy, Neil Soni, Jack Ong, Lauren Sanchez, Fay Hauser, Corina Boettger, Todd Wagner, Brittany Curran, Alexandra Rieger, Eric Don, Julia Kelleher, Zac Gardner, Mason Green, Kahlil Ashanti, Corina Boettger, Janet Borrus, Courtney Taylor Burness, D T Carney, Jmeka Cherrel, Brittany Curran, Austin Herrera Davis, Andrea Frisby, Zac Gardner, Marjorie Harris, Erica Hubbard, Lanaria Johnson, Julia Kelleher, Kelron Mixon, Lance Norling, Katie Olson, Alexandra Rieger, Brittany M. Wildman
Director: Doug Atchison
Country: USA
USA & UK: 112 mins
USA Rated: PG for some language
UK Certificate: 12A contains obscured strong language
USA Release Date: 28 April 2006
UK Release Date: 18 August 2006


Synopsis

AKEELAH AND THE BEE is a heart-warming and triumph-over adversity drama, concerning a precocious 11 year-old girl, Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), from south Los Angeles. Having a talent for words, Keke enters a spelling contest despite the objections of her mother Wanda (Angela Bassett) and ultimately she competes in the National Spelling Bee, the most famous competition of its kind in the world.

Along the way she is helped by a forthright yet mysterious teacher, Dr Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) as well as a cast of colorful characters from the community. Her journey evokes pride in the neighborhood bringing them together and, in the end, all witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.