First Run Features is pleased to announce that “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” will have virtual theatrical runs across the U.S. beginning May 22nd.
Directed by Alana DeJoseph and narrated by Annette Bening, “A Towering Task” is the first documentary to chronicle the remarkable history of the Peace Corps. It features indelible interviews of current and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, many who are now notable members of the media and politics, current and former staff, scholars, journalists, community members, and leaders around the world including Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Among the many other notable people who have either volunteered or worked for the Peace Corps are journalists Bill Moyers, Marco Werman, Maureen Orth, Peter Hessler, George Packer, and Chris Matthews; Senators Jay Rockefeller and Chris Dodd; Congresswoman Donna Shalala and Congressmen Joe Kennedy and Christopher Shays; State Senator Jason Carter and his grandmother Lillian Carter; Ambassadors Vicki Huddleston and J. Christopher Stevens; Netflix founder Reed Hastings; novelist Paul Theroux; TV’s Bob Vila; and Hollywood director Taylor Hackford.
By expertly weaving together personal volunteer experiences with the political machinations of the time, screenwriter Shana Kelly provides viewers with a visceral experience of John F. Kennedy’s legendary words spoken to the Peace Corps, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Remarkable archival materials and stunning footage by cinematographer Vanessa Carr from around the globe bring to life an agency that represents to the world the American ideal.
In response to the current pandemic, and for the first time in its history, the Peace Corps has evacuated all Volunteers, and the future of the agency is in question. At a time when America is reevaluating its role in the world, the story of this uniquely American government agency takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen. As the pandemic subsides and the world once again reevaluate how to cooperate, the story of the Peace Corps will serve as a reminder of Kennedy’s call to action.
After sold-out screenings at the Kennedy Center and the Denver Film Festival, numerous community screenings from Alaska to Washington, DC to Hawaii and Florida, not to mention international screenings in Colombia and Afghanistan, the film will be available via streaming for a national ticket price of $12.
