'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' to get major boost from HBO, PBS in midst of Oscar race

Morgan Neville's hit film about Mister Rogers to launch on both channels days before final Oscar voting begins

HBO and PBS are giving Won't You Be My Neighbor? a big boost in the film's bid for an Academy Award.

The documentary will premiere on HBO February 9, 2019, three days before final Oscar voting begins. On the same day of the HBO premiere, Morgan Neville's film about Mister Rogers will air as a special presentation on the PBS program Independent Lens, in honor of Fred Rogers' contributions to public television. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood aired on public TV from 1968-2001, originating from PBS affiliate WQED in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Fred Rogers’ career represented a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent view of how television could be used as a positive force in society.

--HBO

“We’re excited to have such a great partner in HBO to help spread Fred’s message back into the world,” the director said in a statement. “And we’re especially excited that HBO has forged a unique collaboration with PBS to ensure that the film reaches the broadest possible audience in February.”

That can only help its chances with Oscar voters, although the film must first make the Oscar shortlist, which will be revealed next week. That seems a very safe bet, given the film's remarkable success at the domestic box office: it made over $22 million, becoming the most successful biographical doc of all time.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? has won numerous awards in the lead up to the Oscars, including Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Best Documentary from the Atlanta Film Critics Circle and Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, a top five honor from the National Board of Review, and the audience award at the IFP Gotham Awards.

"Won't You Be My Neighbor?" director Morgan Neville speaks at a Q&A following an IDA screening of his film in Los Angeles. September 12, 2018. Photo by Matt Carey

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Related: 
>Morgan Neville on the challenge of making his doc on Fred Rogers: 'Can you make a serious film about someone people don't take seriously?'

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Oscar voting runs from February 12-19. After Neighbor's HBO debut on February 9, the film will be available for streaming on HBO GO, HBO Now and HBO on Demand.

"Fred Rogers’ career represented a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent view of how television could be used as a positive force in society. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? explores his legacy, focusing on his radically kind ideas," HBO writes on its website. "While the nation changed around him, Rogers stood firm in his belief about the importance of protecting childhood. This intimate portrait goes beyond zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination."