Akeelah and the Bee - videos, teasers and stills from filming

All videos, teasers and footage from the filming of the film "Akeelah and the Bee"

Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

Timing: 1:52 (112 min)

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All about film

Video 3

Photo 7

Actors and characters

English

2:26

English

3:10

Pусский

2:20

Sidney Poitier was initially considered for the role that eventually went to Laurence Fishburne, but a younger actor was ultimately preferred.
The character of Laurence Fishburne was based on the school principal that director and screenwriter Doug Etchison attended.
The last word Dylan received in the word-off—"logorrhea"—is a symptom of a speech pathology characterized by uncontrollable, incoherent speech at a rapid pace.
Akila and Dylan intentionally lost and threw the match. In reality, such a decision would have cost a fortune. The 2005 contest winner took home the equivalent of $30,000 in cash and prizes, while the runner-up had to settle for much less.
When Akila (played by Keke Palmer) wins a prize in a regional competition, a zoomed-in image of a local newspaper article appears on screen. The names of the school principal and Akila's main rival mentioned in the article do not match the names of those characters in the movie. This suggests that the prop was created (and used) before the final decision regarding the names was made.
There is a plaque with a quote on the wall of the principal's office. The film erroneously claims that these words were spoken by Nelson Mandela (1918-2013, South Africa's first Black president) in his inaugural speech. This is a widespread misconception, as Mandela did not actually use this quote in any of his subsequently published speeches. The words were spoken by Marianne Williamson, an American author, speaker, and political activist.

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