Davis Guggenheim

Last updated

Davis Guggenheim
DavisGuggenheimJI1 (cropped).jpg
Guggenheim in 2009
Born
Philip Davis Guggenheim

(1963-11-03) November 3, 1963 (age 60)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education Brown University
Occupations
  • Director
  • writer
  • producer
Years active1991–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1994)​
Children3
Parent Charles Guggenheim (father)

Philip Davis Guggenheim is an American screenwriter, director, and producer.

Contents

Active in television and film's directions and productions since the 1990s, from 2006 Guggenheim has specialized in making documentaries, [1] ranking the top 100 highest-grossing documentaries of all time with three works: An Inconvenient Truth , It Might Get Loud , and Waiting for "Superman". [2] [3]

Guggenheim's cinematographic projects received severals awards and nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film for An Inconvenient Truth, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Documentary Feature for He Named Me Malala and two nominations at the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.

His credits include NYPD Blue , ER , 24 , Alias , The Shield , Deadwood , and the documentaries It Might Get Loud , The Road We've Traveled , Waiting for "Superman" , Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates . [4]

Early life

Philip Davis Guggenheim was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Marion Davis (née Streett) and filmmaker Charles Guggenheim. [5] His father was Jewish, whereas his mother was Episcopalian. [6] [7] [8] He graduated from the Potomac School, Sidwell Friends School and Brown University.

Career

Guggenheim joined the HBO Western drama Deadwood as a producer and director for the first season in 2004. The series was created by David Milch and focused on a growing town in the American West. Guggenheim directed the episodes "Deep Water", [9] "Reconnoitering the Rim", [10] "Plague" [11] and "Sold Under Sin". [12] He left the show at the end of Season 1.

The documentary An Inconvenient Truth was produced and directed by Davis Guggenheim. An Inconvenient Truth won the Academy Award in 2007 for Best Documentary Feature. The film, released in 2006, featured former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and his international slideshow on global warming.

Then-candidate Barack Obama's biographical film, which aired during the Democratic National Convention in August 2008, was directed by Guggenheim. Their infomercial, which was broadcast two months later, on October 29, 2008, was "executed with high standards of cinematography", according to The New York Times . [13] In 2012, he released The Road We've Traveled , a 17-minute short film on the president. [14]

Guggenheim directed and was an executive producer of the 2009 pilot for Melrose Place .

In 2008, he released It Might Get Loud , a documentary that glimpses into the lives of guitarists Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White.

Guggenheim's 2010 documentary Waiting for "Superman" , a film about the failures of American public education sparked controversy and debate. Guggenheim knew his film would lead to this and said, "I know people will say this movie is anti-this or pro-that. But it really is all about families trying to find great schools". [15] This film received the Audience Award for best documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Its public release was in September 2010.

A documentary film about the band U2 directed by Guggenheim titled From the Sky Down opened the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival in September. [16]

In 2013, he directed The Dream is Now, a 30-minute documentary about four undocumented students in the United States as they deal with the U.S. immigration system.

In 2015, he directed a documentary film He Named Me Malala about Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by Taliban gunmen, shot in the head and left wounded. [17]

In 2019, he created and directed a documentary miniseries titled Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates . The series explores the mind and motivations behind the captain of industry and philanthropist Bill Gates, the rise of Microsoft, and the past and current pursuits of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 2020, Guggenheim and Jonathan King launched production company Concordia Studio. [18]

In 2023, the documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie , directed by Guggenheim, was released on Apple TV+. Featuring read excerpts from Michael J. Fox's own books, the biopic stars Fox himself as both interviewee and narrator, recounting his career and experience contending with Parkinson's disease. The feature received seven Emmy Nominations. [19]

Personal life

Guggenheim married actress Elisabeth Shue in 1994. They have three children together. [20] [21] [ better source needed ] He is the first cousin of actress Patty Guggenheim.[ citation needed ]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2006 Gotham Independent Film Awards Best Documentary An Inconvenient TruthNominated [22]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Documentary/Non-Fiction FilmWon [23]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Documentary FeatureWon [24]
2007 Academy Awards Best Documentary Feature Film Won [25]
2010 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best DocumentaryWaiting for "Superman"Won [26]
2011 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Documentary Feature Won [27]
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directing – Documentaries Nominated [28]
San Diego Film Festival Best Documentary Won [29]
Audience Award for Best Documentary Won
2015 Adelaide Film Festival Best DocumentaryHe Named Me MalalaNominated [30]
2016 British Academy Film Awards Best Documentary Nominated [31]
Cinema for Peace awards Most Valuable Documentary of the YearNominated [32]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Documentary - Feature Nominated [33]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming Nominated [34]
San Diego Film Festival Audience Choice Award Won [35]
Satellite Awards Best Documentary Film Nominated [36]
2023 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Best Director Still: A Michael J. Fox MovieWon [37]
2024 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program Won [38]

Related Research Articles

Timothy Van Patten is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has received numerous accolades including two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and two Directors Guild of America Awards as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards.

<i>An Inconvenient Truth</i> 2006 film by Davis Guggenheim

An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own estimate, he has presented over 1,000 times to audiences worldwide.

Jay Cassidy is an American film editor with dozens of credits since 1978.

Joshua Seftel is an Academy Award-nominated film director. Seftel began his career in documentaries at age 22 with his Emmy-nominated film, Lost and Found, about Romania's orphaned children. He followed this with several films including Stranger at the Gate, an Oscar-nominated short documentary executively produced by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. His political campaign film Taking on the Kennedys was selected by Time Magazine as one of the “ten best of the year." Seftel also directed the underdog sports film The Home Team which premiered at SXSW, and a film about the Broadway revival of the musical Annie, It's the Hard Knock Life.

Tia Lessin is an American documentary filmmaker. Lessin has produced and directed documentaries and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary and the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentary.

<i>Waiting for "Superman"</i> 2010 American film

Waiting for "Superman" is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lesley Chilcott. The film criticizes the American public education system by following several students as they strive to be accepted into competitive charter schools such as KIPP LA Schools, Harlem Success Academy and Summit Preparatory Charter High School.

Ted Mann is a Canadian-born television writer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Fox</span> American film director

Josh Fox is an American film director, playwright and environmental activist, best known for his Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning 2010 documentary, Gasland. He is the founder and artistic director of a film and theater company in New York City, International WOW, and has contributed as a journalist to Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, NowThis, AJ+ and Huffington Post.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Rossi</span> American filmmaker

Andrew Rossi is an American filmmaker, known for directing and writing The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022).

Rebecca Cammisa is an American documentary filmmaker two-times Oscar nominated, Emmy award winner, and founder of Documentress Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Britell</span> American film composer (born 1980)

Nicholas Britell is an American film and television composer. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award. He has received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score for Barry Jenkins' Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up (2021). He also scored McKay's The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018). He is also known for scoring Battle of the Sexes (2017), Cruella (2021), and She Said (2022).

<i>He Named Me Malala</i> 2015 documentary film by Davis Guggenheim

He Named Me Malala is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim. The film presents the young Pakistani female activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who has spoken out for the rights of girls, especially the right to education, since she was very young. The film also recounts how she survived and has become even more eloquent in her quest after being hunted down and shot by a Taliban gunman as part of the organization's violent opposition to girls' education in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. The title refers to the Afghani folk hero Malalai of Maiwand, after whom her father named her.

Lesley Chilcott is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable feature documentary films include Watson, Waiting for "Superman", CodeGirl, It Might Get Loud, and An Inconvenient Truth which won two Academy Awards. Chilcott is known for documentaries about social justice issues such as climate change, the environment, women's equality, and education. She directed the audience-favored Netflix docuseries, Arnold (2023), about the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a bodybuilder, movie star, and politician.

<i>An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power</i> 2017 documentary

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is a 2017 American concert film/documentary film, directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, about former United States Vice President Al Gore's continuing mission to battle climate change. The sequel to An Inconvenient Truth (2006), the film addresses the progress made to tackle the problem and Gore's global efforts to persuade governmental leaders to invest in renewable energy, culminating in the landmark signing of 2016's Paris Agreement. The film was released on July 28, 2017, by Paramount Pictures, and grossed over $5 million worldwide. It received a nomination for Best Documentary at the 71st British Academy Film Awards.

Bonni Cohen is an American documentary film producer and director. She is the co-founder of Actual Films and has produced and directed an array of award-winning films. Most recently, she produced the Oscar-nominated film Lead Me Home, which premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival and is a Netflix Original. She also recently co-directed Athlete A, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Documentary and received four nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards. She is the co-founder of Actual Films, the production company of the documentaries An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Audrie & Daisy, 3.5 Minutes, The Island President, Lost Boys of Sudan and The Rape of Europa. Cohen is the co-founder of the Catapult Film Fund.

Jon Shenk is an Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary film director and director of photography, known for his films Lead Me HomeAthlete A, An Inconvenient Sequel, Audrie & Daisy,The Island President, Lost Boys of Sudan. He is the co-founder, with his wife Bonni Cohen, of Actual Films, a documentary film company based in San Francisco, CA. He co-directed and photographed Lead Me Home which premiered in 2021 at the Telluride Film Festival, was acquired by Netflix, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Zimbalist</span> American filmmaker

Michael Zimbalist is an American filmmaker. He is a three-time Emmy Award and a Peabody Awards winner.

<i>He Named Me Malala</i> (soundtrack) 2015 film score by Thomas Newman

He Named Me Malala (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2015 documentary film of the same name about young Pakistani female activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. The album was released digitally on October 2, 2015 and through physical formats on October 30 by Sony Classical. It consisted the film's original score composed by Thomas Newman, while also featured two original songs that are not included in the album.

<i>Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie</i> 2023 documentary film

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about the life of actor Michael J. Fox and his struggle with Parkinson's disease. The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, and was then released on May 12, 2023, on Apple TV+.

Concordia Studio is an American independent film production and television production company. The company has produced Boys State (2020), Time (2020), A Thousand Cuts (2020), Procession (2021), Swan Song (2021), and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023).

References

  1. ↑ "Davis Guggenheim". Vogue Italia (in Italian). January 20, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Documentary Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ "IDA Conversation Series: Davis Guggenheim". International Documentary Association. August 16, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  4. ↑ Welch, Alex (May 11, 2023). "'He's Got Nothing to Hide': Davis Guggenheim on Revealing a New Side of Michael J. Fox (Exclusive)". A.frame. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ Who's who in entertainment: Volume 1. Marquis Who's Who. 1989. p. 256. ISBN   0837918502.
  6. ↑ "In Dual-Faith Families Children Sturggle [sic] For a Spiritual Home". The New York Times. August 18, 1988.
  7. ↑ "New on the big screen, Bad news, good news, Passings | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California". Jweekly.com. October 7, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "In 'He Named Me Malala,' Guggenheim Finds Normal in Extraordinary" by Penelope Poulou, Voice of America , 9 October 2015
  9. ↑ Davis Guggenheim (director), Malcolm MacRury (writer) (March 28, 2004). "Deep Water". Deadwood. Season 1. Episode 2. HBO.
  10. ↑ Davis Guggenheim (director), Jody Worth (writer) (April 4, 2004). "Reconnoitering the Rim". Deadwood. Season 1. Episode 3. HBO.
  11. ↑ Davis Guggenheim (director), Malcolm MacRury (writer) (April 25, 2004). "Plague". Deadwood. Season 1. Episode 6. HBO.
  12. ↑ Davis Guggenheim (director), Ted Mann (writer) (June 13, 2004). "Sold Under Sin". Deadwood. Season 1. Episode 12. HBO.
  13. ↑ Rutenberg, Jim (October 29, 2008). "The Ad Campaign: An Obama Infomercial, Big, Glossy and Almost Unavoidable". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  14. ↑ Zakarin, Jordan (March 9, 2012). "Obama Documentary 'The Road We've Traveled' By Davis Guggenheim Reveals Trailer (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  15. ↑ Ripley, A. (2010). A Call to Action for Public Schools. (Cover story). Time, 176(12), pp. 32–42.
  16. ↑ "U2 documentary to open Toronto Film Festival". BBC News. July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  17. ↑ Gerard, Jeremy (March 30, 2015). "Fox Searchlight Picks Up 'He Named Me Malala' About Youngest Nobel Winner". deadline.com. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  18. ↑ "'An Inconvenient Truth' Director Davis Guggenheim Launches Concordia, a Documentary and Nonfiction Studio". January 20, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie". Television Academy. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Davis Guggenheim". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Elizabeth Shue". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Past Recipients". IFP Gotham Awards. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  23. ↑ Brooks, Brian (December 11, 2006). "New York Critics Pick "United 93" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" Top Choice in LA". IndieWire. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  24. ↑ "2006 WAFCA Awards". WAFCA press release. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  25. ↑ "The 79th Academy Awards (2007) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . AMPAS. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  26. ↑ "'Winter's Bone,' 'Restrepo' Lead Sundance Award Winners - indieWIRE". January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  27. ↑ "At the Critics' Choice Awards: Winners Are Social Network, Inception, Firth, Portman, Leo, Bale | Thompson on Hollywood". April 26, 2012. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  28. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 12, 2011). "DGA names documentary award nominees". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Award Winners". April 29, 2012. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  30. ↑ McGowan, Mark. "Adelaide Film Festival Program Launches Today". Adelaide Film Festival website. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  31. ↑ Brown, Mark; Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (February 14, 2016). "Baftas 2016: The Revenant and Mad Max maul competition as Carol snubbed". The Guardian . Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Cinema for Peace Foundation". Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Critics' Choice Awards Nominations: 'Mad Max' Leads Film; ABC, HBO, FX Networks & 'Fargo' Top TV". Deadline Hollywood. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Creative Arts Emmys: 'Murderer' & 'Grease Live' Lead The Field On Night 2". Deadline Hollywood . September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  35. ↑ "San Diego Announces the 2015 Award Winners! | San Diego International Film Festival". October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Satellite Awards (2015)". International Press Academy . IPA. December 2, 2015. pressacademy.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  37. ↑ Thompson, Anne (October 16, 2023). "Jon Batiste Profile 'American Symphony' Leads Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". IndieWire . Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  38. ↑ "75th Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.