LOS ANGELES — There were many reasons director Davis Guggenheim wanted to make the documentary “He Named Me Malala.” It’s a moving and powerful story — the tale of a young girl who survives death to become a voice for education that resonates deeply as a human rights issue.
Those are important. But, none was more important than the one reason that touched him the most.
“I have two daughters and one of them is extremely shy. I kept wondering what this girl’s father did to help make this girl feel so confident. I wanted to know his secrets as a father,” Guggenheim says.
“He Named Me Malala” looks at the young Pakistani who was shot by the Taliban because of her outspoken efforts for education for girls. She survived the attack and has become a global voice.
Guggenheim has dealt with important issues in his documentaries, from global warming in “An Inconvenient Truth” to education in “Waiting for Superman.” He says that while the roots of documentaries are in journalism, he finds that it is impossible to remain perfectly objective when tackling these topics.
The director says he must have a passion for the subject before he will take on the project.
“I want to feel what my characters are going through and help my audience feel that too,” Guggenheim says.
His daughters — with actress Elisabeth Shue — are 14 and 9. Guggenheim says it was a special moment when they met Malala.
“They have become close. I am really happy they have a hero who can lead them in the right direction. There are a lot of heroes out there who are false heroes. Malala is so genuine and right,” Guggenheim says.
Guggenheim was brought in to direct when the producers of “He Named Me Malala” decided the young woman’s story had to be told as a documentary. As Guggenheim began to do his research, he began to see there was more than just this massive story of global importance. He also saw the strong family angle.
Either way, he wanted to tell the story of Malala. And that story had to be both Malala as a world figure and as an average teen. He presents her story that way because he wants to show that what makes Malala so extraordinary is a simple courageous choice to speak out for something in which she believed strongly.
