dir. Kim A. Snyder
92 min.

As an unprecedented wave of book banning largely addressing race and LGBT issues is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy. Filmmaker Kim A. Snyder (Newtown, Us Kids, 2025 Oscar®-Nominated Death By Numbers) takes us to an unexpected front line where librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy, free access to information, and our First Amendment Rights.

As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities. 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 White Christian Nationalism 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.

The film will be followed by a short panel discussion and audience Q&A. The panelists include:

Beth Anderson – President, Maine Association of School Libraries (MASL)
Kelley Blue – Director of Youth Services @ PPL and chair of the Maine Library Association’s (MLA) Youth Services Interest Group
Sonya Durney – Director of Educational Initiatives at the EveryLibrary Institute, Scholarly Communication Librarian at the University of New England, and Past President of MLA
Sarah Moore – Executive Director @ PPL