April 3, 2006
An inspirational drama, AKEELAH AND THE BEE is the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), a precocious eleven-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite the objections of her mother Tanya (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne); her principal Mr. Welch (Curtis Armstrong) and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her an opportunity to compete for a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and in turn unites her neighborhood who witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.
Dan Atchison noticed that most spelling bee contestants seemed to come from privileged backgrounds whose families had the resources to allow their kids to pursue this unusual activity. Says Atchison, "It struck me that there was a story to tell about a child who had the natural ability for this kind of activity but who didn't have access to the resources or coaching to pursue it as these other kids had." It was then that he decided to write a screenplay.
Fishburne’s response to the script was immediate. It played on themes that he took to heart. "I read the script and I was really moved by it. The heart of the story is the relationship between Akeelah and Dr. Larabee. But also important is the story about community. This young girl doesn't think too highly of the place she comes from. Then she begins to learn through her experience that, in fact, she does come from a very tight-knit supportive and concerned community. People do care, love and support her."
From left to right:
Laurence Fishburne, Producer, Actor (Dr. Larabee)
Keke Palmer, Actor (Akeelah Anderson)
Doug Atchison, Writer, Director
Hilary O. Shelton, Director, NAACP Washington, D.C.