Friends and Neighbors Film Screening
Friends & Neighbors Film Screening
Thurs., June 11, 2026, 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Long Hall, John Knox Room
Join the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary community for a screening of the film Friends & Neighbors. The event will include a conversation with the filmmaker, Benjamin Wagner, moderated by Emily Holmes, senior state program officer for Pennsylvania with the Resilient States Project of Common Ground USA.
Free and open to the public – no registration required.
About Friends & Neighbors
Guided by Fred Rogers’ call to “look for the helpers,” filmmaker Benjamin Wagner investigates how chronic stress and trauma shape American life, weaving his own story with those of experts and neighbors to reveal that healing and connection are still possible even in the most anxious communities.
By making space for these stories, Friends & Neighbors offers something both grounding and hopeful: a way to better understand what we carry, a language for what we feel, and a reminder that healing does not happen alone. It happens in connection, in community, and in the everyday acts of showing up for ourselves and for one another.
Learn more at friendsandneighbors.mov.
About Filmmaker Benjamin Wagner and Moderator Emily Holmes
From his earliest days in local news across nearly 20-years transforming MTV News, half-decade growing Facebook’s News Partnerships Team, two award-winning PBS documentaries and 10 studio albums, Benjamin Wagner’s focus has been the essential nature of our shared human experience—how stories help us navigate adversity, foster connection, and cultivate resilience to find meaning, thrive, and flourish. He is the writer, producer, and director of two award-winning PBS Documentaries (Mister Rogers & Me, and Friends & Neighbors), and a performing singer/songwriter. Wagner was a 2014 Columbia University Punch Sulzberger Fellow and is the current director of engagement for the Media Transformation Challenge Fellowship at Northwestern University. After 25 years in New York City, Wagner now lives in Wilmington, Del., with his wife and two teenage daughters.
Emily Holmes is the Senior State Program Officer for Pennsylvania with the Resilient States Project of Common Ground USA, an initiative of Search for Common Ground. Emily leverages her two decades of experience in project management, operations, and administration to support the network of diverse civil society leaders throughout the commonwealth in their mission to prevent, defuse, and respond to political violence. She employs her communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills to build positive relationships and drive the team toward the long-term goal of finding community-based solutions and building social cohesion. Additionally, Emily has served as a North Strabane Township Supervisor for the past seven years and is currently Vice-Chair of the board. She received the 2023 Zonta International Rose Day Honor for her contributions and dedication to Government Service. Her unique career has spanned the fields of education, non-profit, legal, consulting, defense contracting, and municipal government sectors. Emily earned a degree in Advertising & Public Relations from Pennsylvania State University and lives in southwestern Pennsylvania. Outside of her professional endeavors, she can be found driving her school-age children to activities or volunteering at Rotary club events.
Questions
Please contact or call 412-924-1346 for inquiries.