Believe in the power of words.

From two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and an ensemble
cast lead by Washington that includes Academy Award winner Forest
Whitaker, comes "The Great Debaters." Inspired by a true story, "The
Great Debaters" chronicles the journey of Professor Melvin Tolson
(Denzel Washington), a brilliant but volatile debate team coach who uses
the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small
African American college in the deep south into a historically elite
debate team. A controversial figure, Professor Tolson challenged the
social mores of the time and was under constant fire for his
unconventional and ferocious teaching methods as well as his radical
political views.

In their pursuit for excellence, Tolson's debate team receives a
groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard University's championship
team. The film is directed by Denzel Washington and stars Washington,
Forest Whitaker, Jurnee Smollett, Nate Parker, Denzel Whitaker, and
Kimberly Elise. "The Great Debaters" was written by Robert Eisele and
Tom Epperson and produced by Todd Black, Kate Forte, Oprah Winfrey and
Joe Roth. Presented by The Weinstein Company, "The Great Debaters,"
will be released by MGM on December 25th.