The Librarians (2025)
Director: Kim A. Snyder Run Time: 94 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2025
Starring: Amanda Jones, Becky Calzada, Carolyn Foote, Martha Hickson, Suzette Baker
Country: United States
Language: English
About the film:
At a time when the debate over book banning has reached unprecedented levels, The Librarians follows the personal and professional lives of school and public librarians across the United States as they confront censorship efforts head-on. From Texas to Florida, and across communities nationwide, these professionals have become unlikely front-line defenders of democracy, tasked not only with protecting their collections but also with safeguarding access to ideas.
Through intimate portraits of librarians like Carolyn Foote, Suzette Baker, and Amanda Jones, the film documents their daily work as well as the extraordinary pressures they face—harassment, threats, and political pushback—for refusing to remove books that explore themes of race, identity, sexuality, and history. The film also investigates coordinated campaigns—such as the “Krause List” of over 850 targeted titles—that have fueled local battles in school boards, libraries, and state legislatures.
What emerges is a story about far more than libraries: it is about the fight for truth, the fragility of democratic norms, and the resilience of everyday people who choose to stand for open access to knowledge.
About the filmmaker:
Kim A. Snyder is an award-winning American documentary filmmaker and producer whose work has been widely praised for its empathy, social conscience, and deeply human storytelling. She holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and began her career in film production and international trade before turning increasingly toward directing and producing documentaries. Her breakthrough feature, Newtown (2016), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won a Peabody Award, examining the long-term impact of the Sandy Hook school shooting. Snyder’s other acclaimed work includes Us Kids (2020), Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane (2018), I Remember Me (2000), and the Oscar-nominated short Death by Numbers (2024). She lives in New York City.
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