The Librarians shines a light on the people on the frontlines of the ongoing war on education, focusing on the renewed wave of book bans in Florida, New Jersey, and especially Texas. The film, directed by Kim Snyder (Us Kids) is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section. Paulius Kontijevas (camera op on Janet Planet) and Derek Wiesehahn (How to Survive a Plague, Welcome to Chernobyl) served as the film’s cinematographers. Below, Kontijevas talks about lighting and staging interviews that protect librarians’ anonymity and the beauty of light refracting through glass. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2025Director Kim A. Snyder (Us Kids) turns her camera to the frontlines of the contemporary book-banning wave that is sweeping many U.S. states, particularly Florida and Texas, in The Librarians. The film is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section and marks the first producer credit of Janique L. Robillard. Below, Robillard discusses the film’s origins and how the film’s subject connects to today’s film production industry. See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here. Filmmaker: How did you connect with this filmmaker and wind up producing the film? Robillard: I first worked with director-producer Kim A. […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2025In The Librarians, director Kim A. Snyder’s documentary chronicles the efforts of these educators in states like Texas and Florida in the face of sweeping book bans, which largely censor stories that center on LGBTQ and racial identities. Editors Austin Reedy and Mark Becker tell Filmmaker about working with archive, creating through lines in the edit and how this film “helps us build a more empathetic conversation about such an important institution.” See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 24, 2025