Full Frame Debuts Common Ground Project with Free Screening of Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

The screening will be held on October 25, 2018 at 7 pm at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain, NC. Free RSVPs are now available via Eventbrite.

In partnership with the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the North Carolina Arts Council, and local arts organizations, Common Ground is a traveling program that facilitates free documentary screenings and discussions in small towns throughout North Carolina. For its inaugural screening, Full Frame and the Cleveland County Arts Council will present the critically acclaimed documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which looks at the life and legacy of Fred Rogers. Special guests David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and producer Nicholas Ma will be in attendance for a moderated Q&A following the film.

Fred Rogers transformed children’s television with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who believed that love was the pathway to personal growth and development. With his groundbreaking show, he provided a space for intimate and straightforward exchange. In his gentle discussions with young guests, listening became a revolutionary act; he acknowledged the fears, worries, and hardships of growing up. Through a cast of puppets, he also managed to broach topics like disability and race, offering families the tools to speak frankly about the world around them. Morgan Neville’s stunning film reveals the origins of the show, the ways it connected to current events, and its significant impact on the lives of children, and adults, across the country. Interviews with family, friends, and colleagues reveal that Rogers was indeed a visionary, but he was also human, and he faced his own share of shortcomings and self-doubt. In his life, Rogers contributed singular authentic exchange both on and off the air.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? will screen on October 25, 2018 at the Joy Performance Center in downtown Kings Mountain, NC. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the film will start at 7 pm. There will be a post-film discussion with David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and producer Nicholas Ma. Hopper’s Soul Food Truck will be on-site from 5 pm to 7 pm. The screening is free and open to the public. RSVPs are recommended and can be made on Eventbrite.

For interview opportunities or high-resolution images, contact Chris Everett.

Common Ground Media Advisory