This week, the PAC’s Guelcher Film Series presents the revolutionary documentary “Waiting for Superman.”

Directed by Davis Guggenheim, the Academy Award-winning director of “An Inconvenient Truth,” this new documentary works to raise awareness about the current public school system.

“Waiting for Superman” follows the dreams and aspirations of five children from diverse backgrounds and examines the effect of the public school system upon them as they progress.

Driven by an intense conscious and awareness that everyone needs a hero, Guggenheim probes deep into the system and the lives of the nation’s future.

Anthony, Daisy, Bianca, Francisco, and Emily provide the soul for the film and a base for a very controversial and important topic in the United States today.

With the school system at the heart of politics, especially locally given the Erie School District’s current $26 million budget deficit, it is important for Americans to know the facts and to have some perspective on the varying conditions throughout the country.

The documentary strives to strip away the partisan politics attached to the issues around education and expose the reality of the effects American schooling has.

Through this neutral ground on education, Guggenheim exposes not only the difficulties in the system, but also the incredible passions and efforts of dedicated teachers and the hope that is present.

The film does an outstanding job of raising awareness about the repairs needed within the education system as well as awareness that any person can be a hero for a desperate situation.

The film has received incredible acclaim from multiple publications. Time Magazine calls it “A Revolution.” The Huffington Post comments “it is nothing short of a wake-up call to Americans.”

As a crisis that is acknowledged widely throughout the country, “Waiting for Superman” is sure to move many hearts—especially among education majors and professors.

Through Guggenheim’s invigorating approach to awareness, everyone is given the chance to stand up and be a superman for youth.

“Waiting for Superman” will be shown in the PAC today at 2:15 and 7 p.m. Tickets are free to students with a Mercyhurst ID.