Akeelah and the Bee is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Doug Atchison. It tells the story of Akeelah Anderson, an 11-year-old girl who participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, her mother, her schoolmates, and her coach, Dr. Joshua Larabee. The cast also features Curtis Armstrong, J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael Afable, Erica Hubbard, Lee Thompson Young, Julito McCullum, Sahara Garey, Eddie Steeples, and Tzi Ma. The film was developed over a period of 10 years by Atchison, who came up with the initial concept after seeing the 1994 Scripps National Spelling Bee and noting that a majority of the competitors came from well-off socioeconomic backgrounds. After completing the script in 1999, Atchison won one of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting in 2000, which attracted producers Sid Ganis and Nancy Hult Ganis. After an initial inability to secure funding, the project got a second wind as a result of the success of the 2002 documentary film Spellbound.
| Director | Doug Atchison |
| Produced by | Laurence Fishburne, Sid Ganis, Nancy Hult Ganis, Danny Llewelyn, Michael Romersa |
| Writer(s) | Doug Atchison |
| Starring | Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer, Curtis Armstrong |
| Music | Aaron Zigman |
| Cinematography | David Mullen |
| Edited by | Glenn Farr |
| Production, company | Lionsgate Films, 2929 Entertainment, Starbucks Entertainment, Out of the Blue Entertainment, Reactor Films, Cinema Gypsy Productions |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Films |
| Released | March 16, 2006 (CIFF), April 28, 2006 (United States) |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6–8 million |
| Box office | $19 million |
| Netflix ID | 70044708 |
About Akeelah and the Bee
A young girl from South Los Angeles competes in the national spelling bee. Doug Atchison wrote and directed the film.
Achievement of Akeelah and the Bee
The movie was filmed in one month and was produced by Starbucks Coffee. The film was shot at Portola Middle School in Woodland Hills, California.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Akeelah and the Bee
Scripps National Spelling Bee.. Films about spelling competitions.. Films about educators.. Films about race and ethnicity.
Latest information about Akeelah and the Bee updated on July 28 2021.
