Daughters influence director to tell heroic story of ‘Malala’

Guggenheim looks at relationship with her father in film.

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 reasons. 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 ed- ucation for girls. She survived the attack and has become a global voice.

The movie also examines the relationship between Malala and her father, Ziauddin, who influenced the young girl to speak out in a world where such freedoms are not often upheld.

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.

That search for passion isn’t confined to documentaries. Davis has been directing both documentaries and scripted productions for 20 years. His scripted work includes episodes of “ER,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Shield,” “Deadwood” and “Numb3rs.”

Although the bulk of his credits are scripted shows, Guggenheim loves making documentaries. That passion for the film form has only increased with “He Named Me Malala” because of screenings where he’s watched the faces of young girls light up while watching the story unfold. 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.

Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban because of her efforts for education for girls.