11-year-old Akeelah Anderson has a way with words. After winning her schoolwide spelling bee, she decides to enter the competition, despite her classmates' derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya. Thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr. Larabee, she reaches the finals. As she gets to know her fellow competitors, Akeelah realizes that coming first isn't everything in life.

• Lions Gate Films
• 2929 Productions
• Keke Palmer
• Laurence Fishburne
• Angela Bassett
• Curtis Armstrong
• J.R. Villarreal
• Sean Michael Afable
• Sahara Garey
• Lee Thompson Young