Davis Guggenheim

Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim first gained attention for the eye-opening global warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" (2006), and for directing the biopic, "A Mother's Promise: Barack Obama Bio Film," shown during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Touted by critics as the next Ken Burns with a style slightly reminiscent of another controversial documentarian, Michael Moore, Guggenheim made searing documentaries that simultaneously shed light on complicated national issues while keeping the stories of his subjects real and deeply personal. He raised consciousness about the plight of less-privileged children trying to get into better schools in the widely acclaimed documentary, "Waiting for 'Superman'" (2010). With his impressive storytelling skills, and a combination of clever animation and innovative filmmaking techniques, Guggenheim elevated "Waiting for 'Superman'" from just a factual tell-all into a touching yet tragic tale of bright kids whose educational fates depended on a school lottery system - a feat accomplished by an undeniably passionate and influential filmmaker.