Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Since mid 60s., for over 30 years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer, was beamed daily into homes across America. In his beloved television program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, after singing ‘Won’t you be my neighbor…’ song, Fred Rogers and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life's weightiest issues, in a simple, direct fashion and. There hadn't been anything like Mr. Rogers on television before and there hasn't been since. Morgan Neville, Oscar winner for 20 Steps from Stardom analyzes the program through its changes across the years and reminds about the importance of education television in national therapy. When released in theaters across America, Won’t You… became the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all-time, and entered President Obama’s list of top ten films of 2018. Marielle Heller’s narrative feature with Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers is also screened in the festival.