Thursday, June 17, 2010

Mister Rogers & Me Premiere

In 2005 I happened upon a blog written by Benjamin Wagner. Musician, TV producer, runner, writer, New Yorker, the blog covered many topics. One day, in surfing the archives, I found an essay he had written about meeting Fred Rogers in Nantucket. The piece touched me, and I bookmarked the blog. I became a fan of Ben's music, but the descriptive style of his writing was what kept me coming back to read. A creative, energetic young man, he teamed with his brother Christofer to tell of his experience with Mr. Rogers, in a documentary film. A search for the best way to "spread the message" of deep and simple had begun. Through interviews with people who knew Fred Rogers well, and even those who knew him only through their televisions, they explored the ways Fred Rogers touched people's lives, and in turn, made them better for it. The film was completed last year, and submitted to several film festivals. After a flurry of "thanks, but no thanks" letters, the call came that the film would be shown at Nantucket Film Festival. It had found it's proper home. This weekend, the documentary Mister Rogers & Me will premiere at Nantucket Film Festival! The Wagner brothers will be there for Q&As and other film events. On the island where this journey began, the message of deep and simple has found a voice. Nantucket Film Festival, you chose well.

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