A Towering Task, a 2019 Official Selection of the Denver Film Festival, tells the history of the Peace Corps while examining the roles and responsibilities of this independent government agency as they move further into the 21st century.

The reception will feature appetizers and finger food by Davis’ own Zim Cuisine. Questions and discussion will follow the film.

On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that officially established the Peace Corps. Concerned about the rise in revolutionary sentiment, Kennedy saw the Peace Corps as a way to counter negative American stereotypes while establishing an additional focus for U.S. international relations. Since 1961 more than 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in over 141 countries, providing all types of social and economic assistance, primarily to developing nations across the globe. But with continuing budget cuts to federal agencies, increasing nationalistic currents, and an unsettled foreign policy climate, the role of the Peace Corps must ultimately evolve along with our changing world. These topics are candidly examined in this compelling film and according to director Alana DeJoseph, “By thoughtfully telling the story of the Peace Corps’ past and present, and then taking a look at its future, we want to equip the American public to redefine what it means for America to join the world community -- not as a wager of war, but as a peacemaker and problem solver.”