Focus Features has released a new trailer for the documentary film, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. The trailer dropped on what would have been TV icon Fred Rogers’ 90 birthday and features scenes from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as well as clips of Fred Rogers away from the set and interacting with kids.
Fred Rogers’ beloved children’s series ran from 1968 through 2001. The series earned more than 50 Emmy nominations and collected four wins. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was also awarded a Peabody in 1968 for youth and children’s programming. In addition, Fred Rogers was the winner of a Peabody Award in 1992 in recognition of his incredible work and his commitment to educating young viewers.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is targeting a June 8, 2018 limited theatrical release. The documentary was directed by Morgan Neville and produced by Caryn Capotosto and Nicholas Ma.
The Plot: For over thirty 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, Fred and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life’s weightiest issues, in a simple, direct fashion. There hadn’t been anything like Mr. Rogers on television before and there hasn’t been since.
Though he may be best known today as a soft-spoken, cardigan-wearing children’s television host, in reality, Fred Rogers’ career represents a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent view about how we should best speak to children about important matters and how television could be used as a positive force in our society.
In Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) looks back on the legacy of Fred Rogers, focusing on his radically kind ideas. While the nation changed around him, Fred Rogers stood firm in his beliefs about the importance of protecting childhood. Neville pays tribute to this legacy with the latest in his series of highly engaging, moving documentary portraits of essential American artists.
