The Project
Be spellbound by this suspenseful documentary feature film investigating a phenomenal quirk in a distinctly American pastime.
OBJECTIVE
Since 1999, 26 of the last 31 winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been Indian-American, and an Indian-American has won for 12 straight years making the incredible trend one of the longest in sports history.
So what’s going on? What’s driving the trend of Indian-American winners? And what’s more, how long can it last?
PUTTING THE PUZZLE TOGETHER
“Spelling the Dream” is a feature-length documentary production that sheds light on these questions with an inside look at what it takes to be champion of the most prestigious academic competition. Find the film on Netflix.
+ Continue Reading
Filming over the course of a couple years, I joined filmmaker, Sam Rega (also my brother-in-law) and writer, Chris Weller – we traveled from Texas to Florida, Virginia and New York meeting contestant phenoms and child prodigies. We studied their memorization strategies, documented their practicing techniques, daily rituals and dined with their families.
As a co-producer and camera operator, it was fascinating to witness the unique coordination and multi-camera footage capture strategy required for each regional competition as well as the national bee.
In 2018, Spelling the Dream, originally titled, Breaking the Bee, debuted at the Cleveland International Film Festival. In 2019, the film played at SXSW EDU. The film features interviews with journalists Sanjay Gupta, Fareed Zakaria and comedian, Hari Kondabolu.
FINISHED PRODUCT
In 2019, there was an 8-way tie at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Looks like we were onto something. The Bee is broken.
TRIVIA
At the age of 11 in 2016, Nihar Janga, of Austin, TX became the youngest competitor to ever win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Nihar’s winning moment appears at the beginning of Spelling the Dream.