Akeelah is a precocious 11-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite her mother's objections, Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee, her principal Mr. Welch, 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.

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