Kim Snyder’s The Librarians follows women in a long-undervalued and underpaid profession—who are now coming under attack. The film premiered to acclaim at Sundance and later SXSW, and will be released in select theaters this fall.
Opens in U.K. theaters Sept. 26 | U.S. theaters Oct. 3. See screening schedule here.
On one side of the nation’s book-ban frenzy, Kim Snyder’s documentary The Librarians shows crusaders fighting to pull from shelves books they claim constitute “pornography” or “DEI.” On the other, librarians agree that parents should monitor their children’s reading—but reject the wholesale removal of books about Black and LGBTQ people from libraries.
Unlike male-dominated mainstream movies, The Librarians depicts women with nuance, agency and dignity.
The University of Southern California’s “The Future is Female” report reveals that nearly half of the women in studio films are depicted as sex objects. Women in those films also speak less than they are spoken to. And too often when they do break their silence, it’s to speak about men.
Female-driven indie films like The Librarians hit different.
Snyder and her crew discussed their work during SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March.
“I’m humbled,” Snyder told Austin Free Press. “I feel like I’ve told a story about everyday American patriots.”
“It’s about protecting the First Amendment,” added Carolyn Foote, a recently retired Austin Independent School District librarian featured in the film.
“We try to make materials available for every possible child or teen who walks in the door, so they feel respected and like they belong,” said Becky Calzada.
Calzada and Foote co-founded Texas FReadom Fighters, a librarian group promoting intellectual freedom.
“It was shocking how aggressive some of the pro-book-banning people were at these school board meetings,” said Austin-based filmmaker Amy Bench, one of the film’s cinematographers. “But I wasn’t fearful.”
“One thing the film really shows is that people aren’t wanting to have a dialogue. They’re saying, ‘I want to kill you,’” Foote added. “It made me think a lot about the Salem witch hunts, because a lot of us are women. Easy targets.”
Get your tickets and see the full screening schedule here—including special Q&As with director Kim Snyder, film participants and librarians across the U.S. and U.K.
Great Job Alex Chew & the Team @ Ms. Magazine Source link for sharing this story.
