Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for Superman) is directing a documentary about Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani student-activist who received global attention after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban, which now figures to be moving ahead at full steam Participant Media and Image Nation Abu-Dhabi on board in support. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald will produce.
Malala Yousafzai began blogging for the BBC at the age of 12, speaking out in support of educating and empowering girls in Pakistan and worldwide. At age 14 a Taliban gunman shot her in the head, though she miraculously survived and continued her crusade for women’s rights. Now 16 years old, she has already published a memoir, I Am Malala, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest nominee in the award’s history. Guggenheim has announced that he plans to include her speech to the United Nations, her first public address after recovering from the assassination attempt, in his upcoming documentary.
Participant and Image previously collaborated on the 2011 Oscar-nominee The Help, which was based on the experiences of African-American housekeepers in the American South during the Civil Rights Era. Said Image Nation CEO Michael Garin about the Malala documentary, “We have believed in this project from its inception and are now pleased to have Participant Media, who are strong advocates for social action, as a financing partner on the project.” Participant Media CEO Jim Berk also voiced his excitement, stating that Participant was founded “to provide a platform for voices calling for social change.”
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