Kim Snyder’s new documentary ”The librarians“Is a shocking look at the organized wave of book ban that sweeps the United States that the director joined the executive producers Sarah Jessica Parker and Alison Benson, as well as librarians Carolyn Foote and Suzette Baker, at the IndieWire studio at SundancePresented by Dropbox, to discuss this extraordinary attack on freedom of speech.
“(The film) Started with Carolyn actually, ”Snyder said. “Over three years ago when this list of 850 books that would be banned came out in Texas – directed mostly books on race and gender.” Foote was among those who drove back, spoke at school board meetings, ultimately received extraordinary counter-reaction and threats from the right, which has worked to notice any depictions of LGBT life or gender identity in books for children or teenagers (including even a picture book on A baby penguin raised by two male penguins) as “grooming” or “pornography.”
“It is very organized,” said Baker, who likes Foote from Texas, about the work with groups like VAT for Liberty, which has caused the book to prohibit its highest priority and has received major investments from billionaires and national political measures. “I have seen them in the commissioners’ meetings who read the script that they downloaded on the internet as far as going to ban books, what you need to say, how you need to say it, how you need to fill the forms. “
What started as targeted attacks on librarians in Texas and Florida has now become a national movement with book ban that is advocated in states such as New Jersey and New York as well.
“It was like pulling a thread that just kept coming out,” Snyder said. Added executive producer Benson, “We were like, when do you stop shooting? Because you could only continue and continue. “
Sarah Jessica Parker felt particularly passionate about boarding the “librarians” as an EP. The fact that she would travel to Sundance to give her support for the film goes a bit towards the story that has been developed in recent months about Hollywood figures that stay quieter about political issues in the wake of the 2024 election. However, Parker does not see to advocate for Librarians and literacy as a question that is bound to any choice.
“I have not paid much attention, peripheral or not, whether Hollywood is quiet or not,” Parker said. “But for us, shown, this movie specifically, there is nothing controversial to me to support our libraries, our librarians and our public schools and in our public spaces. And I’ve been so my whole life. I was raised in a library. I am one of eight children, and if I did not have a library I do not know who I would be today. And it was because there was a librarian every place I went, no matter where I moved to, which pointed me in one direction. And I had parents who cared for a huge amount about how I would make my life more rich and still be suitable. So what Hollywood does and how they feel is insignificant to these people, these books, the idea of access to freedom and information. It does not really go hand in hand with the consequences of this particular choice, more so what will it be to move forward. “
Watch the video from all over the interview above.
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