The Librarians
Director: Kim. A Snyder Run Time: 92 min. Release Year: 2025
Starring: Suzette Baker, Becky Calzada, Carolyn Foote, Martha Hickson, Amanda Jones
In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale.
“… a comprehensive documentary that maps well-funded, right-wing political groups’ nationwide mission to ban books and those standing up to this movement in the name of anti-censorship. And though there are expected touches throughout (onscreen quotes from ‘Fahrenheit 451’, talking-head interviews offering context) this film surprises in its thorough research and succinct storytelling. If you’ve wondered how exactly we got here, ‘The Librarians’ has your answer.” ~ Dan Mecca, The Film Stage