Watson Events

Screening of He Named Me Malala and discussion with director Davis Guggenheim '86

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

6 p.m.

Martinos Auditorim, Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, 154 Angell Street

A limited number of tickets will be made available on September 8. Brown University ID required. Get tickets here.

Screening of He Named Me Malala, a Fox Searchlight Pictures film. Followed by a conversation with the director, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim '86.

He Named Me Malala is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old (she turns 18 this July) was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.

“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world." – Malala

More Information

Davis Guggenheim is a critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning director and producer, whose work includes Waiting for Superman, It Might Get Loud, and An Inconvenient Truth, featuring former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2007.

In 2008, Guggenheim produced and directed President Barack Obama's biographical film A Mother's Promise, and The Road We've Travelled, for Obama's 2012 campaign.

In 2013 Guggenheim directed Teach, a two-hour television special about what's working in America’s public schools — specifically that at the heart of every great education is great teaching.

Most recently Guggenheim completed a feature-length documentary about Malala Yousafzai and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai. He worked closely with Malala and her family, filming their life in Birmingham, England, as well as their travels to numerous countries around the world as they talk about the power of education and its ability to transform a young person’s life. It is due for worldwide release this fall.

Guggenheim is currently working on a documentary special for HBO featuring the band U2.

Guggenheim has also directed many television series including Deadwood, NYPD Blue and 24.