SPELLBOUND
D: Jeff Blitz.
Documentary Feature Competition, World Premiere Spellbound follows eight kids from various parts of the country to Washington for the national Scripps-Howard spelling bee. In the days leading up to the event, the pressure builds as the kids drill endlessly on impossibly obscure words; the bee itself is sheer nerve-racking tension. The kids are all engagingly dorky and super-intelligent, as the camera offers a generous insight into them and their families. It’s one age-old American tradition that not only hasn’t faded away, but is covered on ESPN now. (CC, 3/10, 1pm; Hideout, 3/12, 9:45pm; Alamo, 3/14, 11am) — Jerry Renshaw
This article appears in March 8 • 2002.
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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...
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