Films with: Atchison, Doug

Akeelah and the bee

Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. She is a smart girl, but her environment threatens to strangle her aspirations. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah decides to participate in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Her principal asks her to seek coaching from Dr. Larabee, an English professor, for the more prestigious regional bee. As the possibility of making it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee looms, Akeelah could provide her community with someone to rally around and be proud of. First Akeelah has to overcome her insecurities, her distracting home life, and the knowledge that there is a field of more experienced and privileged fellow spellers.

DVD 4595

Spinning into butter

A vicious hate crime at an elite New England college thrusts the new dean of students into the investigation. When charged with maintaining order on campus, she is forced to examine her own feelings about race. Based on the critically acclaimed play, a compelling movie that examines the emotional fallout of prejudice within the cloistered walls of academia.

DVD 7490