David Guggenheim’s Tribulations

The documentary film maker who was determined not to make documentaries: “I had a plan. The best plan a 24-year-old could have: driving cross-country with everything he owned in a VW Jetta. I was driving from Washington, D.C., to Hollywood, and though some of the wrinkles had not been ironed out, I knew one thing for certain: I was not going to make documentaries. You see, my father made documentaries, and with four Oscars and a career spanning 40 years, he was revered by everyone—especially me. He had coaxed me to move to D.C. after college to work with him. But after a few weeks, I knew it wouldn’t pan out.”