Breadcrumb
Community Screening of the Acclaimed Story of Fred Rogers and 鈥淢ister Rogers鈥�" Neighborhood
By Jeff Murphy, March 22, 2019
Fred Rogers meets a young boy with a disability, Jeff Erlanger, in the film "Won't
You Be My Neighbor?", a Focus Features release. Credit: Jim Judkis
WARRENSBURG, MO - and Capitol Cinema join the Independent Television Service documentary series 鈥淚ndependent
Lens鈥� to present a special community screening of the feature film 鈥淲on鈥檛 You Be My
Neighbor?鈥�
The screening, to be followed by a panel discussion about 鈥榳hat it takes to be a good
neighbor,鈥� will take place Wednesday, March 27 at 6 p.m. at Capitol City Cinema in
Jefferson City. Details are available online at , or by calling Nicole Hume at 800-753-3436.
The acclaimed documentary from Morgan Neville, one of the most celebrated theatrical
releases of 2018, takes an intimate look at America鈥檚 favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers.
Through the course of the film you will learn the story of a soft-spoken minister,
puppeteer, writer and producer whose show was beamed daily into homes across America
for more than 30 years. In his beloved television program, 鈥淢ister Rogers鈥� Neighborhood,鈥�
Rogers and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about
some of life鈥檚 weightiest issues in a simple, direct fashion. There hadn鈥檛 been anything
like Mister Rogers on television before, and there hasn鈥檛 been since. The film premiered
on 鈥淚ndependent Lens鈥� in February.
Fred Rogers鈥� career represented a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent
view of how television could be used as a positive force in society. 鈥淲on鈥檛 You Be
My Neighbor?鈥� explores his legacy, focusing on these radically kind ideas. While the
nation changed around him, Rogers stood firm in his belief about the importance of
protecting childhood. This intimate portrait goes beyond zip-up cardigans and the
land of make-believe, into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations
of children with compassion and limitless imagination.
Since its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018, the film has
become the top-grossing biographical documentary of all time, earning more than $22
million at the domestic box office. It received three Critics鈥� Choice Documentary
Awards, including Best Documentary, Best Director and Best Editing, as well as the
Audience Award at the IFP Gotham Awards. Neville鈥檚 film was also nominated for the
IDA Documentary Award for Best Feature, nabbed five Cinema Eye Honors, including Best
Documentary, and won both the Producers Guild of America Award for Documentary and
the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary.