‘We’re failing too many kids,’ Davis Guggenheim tells MTV News.By Kara Warner
“Waiting for Superman”
Photo: Paramount Pictures
“Waiting For Superman,” like “Catfish,” is a documentary that came out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival with major buzz. But the two films couldn’t be more different. Directed by Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”), “Superman” sheds a glaring and startling light on the crippling flaws of America’s school system.
MTV caught up with the award-winning director while he was in the midst of a promotional blitz that has included appearances and screenings at schools across the country — one of which MTV was proud to host in conjunction with our Get Schooled campaign. Despite a hectic schedule (which explains why he didn’t have the time to do that Justin Bieber concert movie), Guggenheim sat down with us to talk education reform, the reasons why MTV viewers should care about their neighborhood schools and what the average person can do to sustain the conversation he hopes to start with his film.
MTV: Why tackle this subject now?
Davis Guggenheim: Well, I’m a parent and I have three kids. I worry about what education they’re going to get. … Everyone knows the world has changed, but our schools haven’t changed. They’re not built to prepare our kids for this new economy. Right now, if you don’t graduate high school and don’t go to a four-year college, your chances are really limited. We’re failing too many kids. Kids who watch MTV should be really worried about whether they’re getting the right education and whether their friends and siblings are getting a good education, so they can have a good life and a piece of the American dream.
MTV: With a film like this, people feel outrage, depression, etc. What is the message or emotion you want people to take away from it?
Davis Guggenheim: There are two feelings when you see this movie. The movie climaxes in a scene where the kids I follow end up at a lottery and you realize that their future is going to be determined by how a bingo ball bounces, literally. They are there holding a card with a number, but instead of winning a lot of money, you win a chance to have a future in America, and it’s heartbreaking and it’s really un-American. You say, “Wait a minute. This is not our country; we shouldn’t have to play bingo to get a good education.” That’s the harsh realization, but the other emotion that comes out of the movie is a sense of hope. In the last 10 years, there is a new generation of reformers who are doing an amazing job, in every city across the country. They’re starting to break the code on how you can educate kids, even in the toughest neighborhoods. So there’s a lot of hope if we focus on these reforms and smart reforms, and put away all the adult problems, we can actually start helping kids.
MTV: Is there a call to action at the end?
Davis Guggenheim: Yeah, there really is. The call to action is, “The stakes are even higher than we thought; it affects all of us. But we can do it and it takes people stepping up, being outraged, and demanding that our schools are great for every kid.”
MTV: What is the first thing the average American who sees the film and wants to do something can do?
Davis Guggenheim: The first step is to be informed. What I find is that a lot of people think they know what’s going on but really don’t. With No Child Left Behind, you can actually go on and learn the scores of your school. But I think that the best way is to go see this movie. Like “An Inconvenient Truth,” it became this primer, this experience people had and they shared with each other and became empowered to fight for change. When that happens, anything is possible. Some people might go in and tutor a kid, another might want to become a teacher, other people might want to reform their school district. That’s what a film does — it creates a conversation and inspires people to incite change.
MTV: What has the response been like so far?
Davis Guggenheim: Even moreso than “An Inconvenient Truth,” and I never thought I’d have an experience that would surpass “An Inconvenient Truth.” But even more than [that film], there has been this rallying around the movie. Paramount, a major movie studio, decides to release it. At Sundance there were standing ovations, tears, people are coming up to me and saying “I want to help this one kid, I want to pay for their private school,” “I want to reform my district.” It’s very exciting to see a movie like this have this effect on people.
MTV: Moving forward, aside from having made the film and getting the word out, what is next?
Davis Guggenheim: Well I’m trying to raise three good kids and make sure, even with a private school, that they have a great education. But it’s not enough to make the movie, I’m on a campaign to fix our schools. … Next month I’m in a different city every day getting people to join our conversation on how to fix our schools.
MTV: Well, now it’s understandable why you were a little too busy to tackle the Justin Bieber concert movie.
Davis Guggenheim: [He laughs.] I think they found someone more talented than me. [But] my daughters love him and my 4-year-old still thinks she’s going to marry him. … It’s so cute. I like his music.
MTV: So it was just a matter of too-busy schedules and timing?
Davis Guggenheim: Scheduling, timing and I needed to serve this movie first. I have to spend the next six months on this.
From the saucy Jessica Alba in “Little Fockers” to James Franco’s grueling journey in “127 Hours,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest flicks of fall 2010. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’
biggest stars.
Check out everything we’ve got on “Waiting for Superman.”
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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