Two time Oscar winner Hilary Swank stars in this gripping story of inner-city kids raised on drive-by shootings and hard-core attitude - and the teacher who gives them the one thing they need most: a voice of their own. Dropped into the free-fire zone of a school torn by violence and racial tension teacher Erin Gruwell battles an uncaring system in a fight to make the classroom matter in her students'' lives. Now telling their own stories and hearing the stories of others a group of supposedly "unteachable" teens will discover the power of tolerance reclaim their shattered lives and change the world. With electrifying performances from its all-star cast including Golden Globe� winner Patrick Dempsey (Grey''s Anatomy) and recording star Mario Freedom Writers is based on the acclaimed best-seller The Freedom Writers Diary.