What is the plot of Freedom Writers?
The movie “Freedom Writers” was about Erin Gruwell, a young teacher who accepted a position teaching freshman and sophomore English at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. Mrs. Gruwell dramatically transformed a chaotic class of hardened inner city youths.
What is the summary of Freedom Writers?
Summary - Freedom Writers Summary The Freedom Writers Movie is based in a real story about a teacher (Erin Gruwell) who changed the lives of young people separated by their ethnicities. Mrs. G, as her class calls her, is a first timer and she never really expects the type of class she is getting.
Who are the main characters in Freedom Writers?
The main characters in The Freedom Writers Diary are Erin Gruwell and her students. Before the diaries start, there’s a note. The note says that the diary entries from the teens won’t be...
Where are the original Freedom Writers at now?
Sue Ellen was an original member of 150 Wilson students who became known as the Freedom Writers, now celebrating the 20th anniversary of their senior year at Wilson High in 1997-98 and telling similar stories of their inspirational years in Gruwell’s classes.
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How true is the movie Freedom Writers?
In real life, however, Erin Gruwell actually did do some great work at Woodrow Wilson High School (whose name a Change.org petition is now urging to change) in Long Beach, but real life is, of course, more ambiguous than the movie. Gruwell did a lot of good with her student, but other teachers in the school did too.
What happened to the real students from Freedom Writers?
0:442:21Original Freedom Writer speaks to youth - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe work during his speech hundreds of students in tears. And willing to open up about their ownMoreThe work during his speech hundreds of students in tears. And willing to open up about their own struggles. Several of them just shared with me privately. Like. You know I was abused I was raped.
Is Eva Benitez a real person?
Among the Latino students in Ms. Gruwell's class, Eva Benitez was the toughest Latina gang member. She was “third-generation.” Having had trouble with the law, she was forced to wear an ankle bracelet and given a choice by her parole officer of attending school or going to boot camp.
Why is Freedom Writers banned?
Administrators objected to racial slurs and sexual content in portions of the book.
What happened to Erin Gruwell's husband?
Erin and her husband did divorce in real life, and for similar reasons. All the pain from her personal life just pushed her more to help her students graduate. And the more her dad saw this, the more he began to support her.
Why is Eva so affected by the ending of Anne Frank diary?
Why is Eva so affected by the ending of Anne Frank's diary? She was so affected by it because she thought that the ending would end up with Anne Frank surviving and living on a good life, but what happens in the end is that Anne Frank gets taken away by Hitlers forces, and gets killed.
How old is Eva Benitez?
Eva is a 14 year old latino strong and sensitive young girl who is misguided, complicated and filled with anger displaying several different emotions throughout the movie.
How many of the Freedom Writers went to college?
Against all odds, all of 150 of them went on to graduate, become published authors, and start a world-wide movement to change the education system as we know it.
What happened to Andre in Freedom Writers?
He also liked to participate in class assignments such as reading the diary of Anne Frank, and raising money for Miep Gies to come to Wilson High. But, when he went to his brothers trial and found out his sentence was declared, Andre went back to his old ways by selling drugs and skipping school.
Why is the movie called Freedom Writers?
The title of the movie and book is a play on the term "Freedom Riders", referring to the multiracial civil rights activists who tested the U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering the desegregation of interstate buses in 1961.
Who was Anne Frank in Freedom Writers?
No. The woman who hid Anne Frank, Miep Gies, was played by veteran stage and screen actress Pat Carroll. However, the real Miep Gies is remarkably still alive today. She turned 98-years-old in February of 2007, just several weeks after the movie Freedom Writers was released in theaters.
Is the Freedom Writers Foundation still active?
In the years that followed, many of them attended college, began successful careers, and established families of their own. Now, more than 20 years later, they are changing the world as teachers, volunteers, writers, architects, nurses, and techies. The Freedom Writers and Ms. G remain close to this day.
What is the movie Freedom Writers about?
Freedom Writers is a film about modern-day Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses in the early 60s to test the US Supreme Court’s decision to desegregate buses. The Freedom Writers were students inspired by their pioneering teacher to embrace racial integration.
How long did it take Richard LaGravenese to write the Freedom Writers Diary?
It took writer and director Richard LaGravenese six years to craft a narrative from The Freedom Writers Diary’s entries. From that story, he created the inspiring film Freedom Writers.
Who encouraged her students to journal their experiences?
Erin encouraged her students to journal their experiences, bringing them closer together. Excerpts from the journals feature in The Freedom Writers Diary . Erin talked to PBS SoCal about how she got her students to share their journal entries:
Why did the Freedom Writers name themselves?
The Freedom Writers named themselves after the Freedom Riders, who were black and white college students who determined that they were going to attack segregation in the South during the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties.
Who wrote the Freedom Writers Diary?
It is based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell and students who compiled the book out of real diary entries about their lives that they wrote in their English class at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California.
Who is the author of Freedom Writers?
For other uses, see Freedom Writers (disambiguation). Freedom Writers is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey and Mario . It is based on the 1999 book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell and students who compiled the book out ...
How much did Freedom Writers gross?
Freedom Writers had a domestic gross of $36,605,602 and had a foreign gross of $6,485,139 bringing the movie to a total gross of $43,090,741 worldwide. On the film's opening weekend it grossed a total of $9,405,582 ranking 4th behind Children of Men (3rd), The Pursuit of Happyness (2nd), and Night at the Museum (1st).
What is the movie The History Boys about?
The movie The History Boys breaks from this pedagogy of the individualist educator from Freedom Writers and other movies, and looks at how academic communities with more than one educator may be able to foster deeper conversations due to the differences in beliefs pushing people to reach a deeper understanding of a topic instead of holding on only to the teaching philosophy pushed by the individual educator-hero .
What is the movie Freedom Riders based on?
The movie is also based on the DC program called City at Peace. The title of the movie and book is a play on the term " Freedom Riders ," referring to the multiracial civil rights activists who tested the U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering the desegregation of interstate buses in 1961.
Where is Freedom Writers Diary based?
It is based on the 1999 book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell and students who compiled the book out of real diary entries about their lives that they wrote in their English class at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California.
Who made the documentary Erin Gruwell?
The idea for the film came from journalist Tracey Durning, who made a documentary about Erin Gruwell for the ABC News program Primetime Live. Durning served as co-executive producer of the film. The film was dedicated to the memory of Armand Jones, who was killed after filming Freedom Writers.
Is Freedom Writers a good book?
Freedom Writers has received mostly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes provides links to 126 reviews, 70% of which are positive. The critical consensus is that " Freedom Writers is a frank, formulaic entry in the inspirational inner-city teacher genre, with an energetic Hilary Swank leading the appealing cast of unknowns." Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 64/100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
When was the Freedom Writers Diary published?
Their diaries were compiled into a single book titled "The Freedom Writers Diary", which was published in October of 1999. The book has sold a quarter of a million copies and counting. Erin and her Freedom Writers have gained national attention, appearing on Oprah, Primetime Live, Good Morning America, and the View.
How old was Erin in Freedom Writers?
She turned 98-years-old in February of 2007, just several weeks after the movie Freedom Writers was released in theaters. As depicted in the film, the real Miep Gies did come to speak to Erin's students after they raised enough money to fly her from Amsterdam.
Why did the Freedom Riders get their name?
The name is a pun on the term 'Freedom Riders', the title given to the mostly African American and white college students, who in 1961 rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to test newly formed civil rights laws. These new laws outlawed racial segregation in interstate transportation facilities, including bus stations and railroad terminals.
Who played Hilary Swank's husband in Freedom Writers?
In the movie Freedom Writers, Hilary Swank's character lives with her husband Scott, played by actor Patrick Dempsey ( Grey's Anatomy ). In the film, as Erin Gruwell becomes more devoted to her teaching, her husband Scott starts to feel neglected.
Did the Freedom Writers Diary take place in the movie?
Yes. The diary entries read in the movie were taken verbatim from the book, The Freedom Writers Diary, which is a compilation of the original diary entries written by Gruwell's students.
Who played Erin's father in the movie?
Erin's father, portrayed by actor Scott Glen in the film, died three years prior to the film's release. "He was my biggest supporter," she says.
Did Erin Gruwell have a father?
Yes. In an interview for the film, Erin Gruwell said the following, "I had an amazing father. My dad was a civil rights activist in the U.S. and as a kid we talked a lot about equality and fighting for the underdog. ... My dad always said you should judge a batter by his swing and not by the color of his skin.".
Who were the Freedom Writers?
The Freedom Writers, including Erin Gruwell (front, center), in 1999. (File photo) Sue Ellen Alpizar wiped away tears as she talked about the darkest days of her teenage years in Long Beach. That was 20 years ago, but she remembered her suffering like it was yesterday.
What room was the Freedom Writers documentary in?
A documentary depicting what happened before, during and after the Freedom Writers entered Room 203 at Wilson 20 years ago will be shown free from 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Crystal Cove Auditorium at University of California, Irvine. The documentary, “Freedom Writers, Stories from an Undeclared War,” will be followed by a question-and-answer period and book signings by Gruwell and some of the Freedom Writers.
How many teachers have attended the Freedom Writers Institute?
Gruwell said more than 600 teachers have attended the Institute from all 50 states, along with 20 countries.
Who is on the cover of Freedom Writers Diary?
Many of those stories were published in the bestselling book, “The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them.” Sue Ellen is on the cover of that book with Gruwell and other Freedom Writers. This also is the 10th anniversary of the Freedom Writers movie starring Hilary Swank.
Who said "I am proud to watch my kids become adults"?
Speaking like a proud parent, Gruwell said, “Over the years, I have been proud to watch my ‘kids’ become adults. I am still their cheerleader, their mentor, their confidante. I learn from them every day, and, in this way, I have also become their student.”
Who plays Erin in Freedom Writers?
In FREEDOM WRITERS, enthusiastic and innocent teacher Erin Gruwell ( Hilary Swank) arrives at a high school in Long Beach just after the L.A. uprising in 1992, aiming to follow in her civil rights activist father's footsteps.
What is the lead character in the book?
Lead character is an idealistic teacher determined to reach the "at-risk" students she teaches. She helps to foster a community in the class, one that goes beyond the racial tensions and difficult home lives many of the students face outside the classroom.
