After a tragedy shook the student body, Gruwell searched for a way to address the issues in her students' lives. Assigning them The Diary of Anne Frank, she found that many students were able to identify with Anne's challenges growing up in a warzone.

It was Gruwell's next assignment that would profoundly change her students' lives: she asked them to keep a journal, recording their experiences, their emotions, their challenges, and their triumphs.

"The kids learned to pick up a pen instead of a gun, and the act of writing saved them," explains director Richard LaGravenese. "Erin asked them to write about their wars and battles and it opened the gates for them to share their lives, which no one had ever asked them to do before. Through Anne Frank, she opened their eyes to a thirteen-year-old girl going through a war of her own and how writing helped her cope with her situation, and then, Erin showed them how to apply that to their own lives."

The film is produced by Stacey Sher, Michael Shamberg, and Danny DeVito, who previously produced "Erin Brockovich," an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. "One of the things that drew us to making this film was the notion that one person really can make a difference," explains producer Stacey Sher. "Erin Gruwell is a hero like anybody else can be a hero. She was frightened but saw that something had to be done and couldn't turn her back on these kids. She empowered them with the tools to essentially help themselves."

Cast
Hilary Swank - Erin Gruwell
Patrick Dempsey - Scott Casey
Scott Glenn - Steve Gruwell
Imelda Staunton - Margaret Campbell
April L. Hernandez - Eva
Mario - Andre
Kristin Herrera - Gloria
Jacklyn Ngan - Sindy
Sergio Montalvo - Alejandro
Jason Finn - Marcus
Deance Wyatt - Jamal

Production Co.
Jersey Films
Double Feature Films

Produced by
Hilary Swank
Tracey Durning
Nan Morales

Studios
Paramount Pictures

Writer
Richard LaGravenese
Erin Gruwell

Music
Mark Isham
Robert Diggs