Won't You Be My Neighbor

Fred Rogers

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville looks back on the legacy of Fred Rogers, focusing on his radically kind ideas.The 6/21 preview screening is SOLD OUT, but you can still see the film during the regular run at the Little.

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 in Won't You Be My Neighbor? WXXI is pleased to host a preview screening of this film at the Little Theatre on Thursday, June 21 at 7pm for a special screening followed by a group discussion led by WXXI’s Manager of Educational Training & Family Engagement Cara Rager. Come to the screening dressed in your best Fred Rogers garb and receive some Mister Rogers' swag! Tickets are $6.50 for Little members and $9 for general admission. This event is SOLD OUT.

You can still see the film!

Won’t You Be My Neighbor opens for its regular run at the Little beginning on Friday, June 22. Get dates and times here.

More about the film:
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 Mister Rogers on television before and there hasn’t been since. You can still watch Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Saturdays at 6am on WXXI-TV.

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.

Watch the documentary trailer here: