SUNDANCE DARLING “THE LIBRARIANS” SETS GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION 

OSCAR NOMINEE KIM A. SNYDER’S DOCUMENTARY WILL RELEASE IN EUROPE IN SEPTEMBER FOLLOWED BY A NATIONAL ROLLOUT IN OCTOBER

NEW YORK, NY; SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 — Following a rousing premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Oscar-nominated and Peabody-winning Director Kim A. Snyder’s (Us Kids, Newtown) documentary THE LIBRARIANS is poised for global distribution with partners Film Forum, Dogwoof, 8 Above, Independent Lens, BBC Storyville, ROCO Films, and Kanopy. Following a momentum of festival and community screenings worldwide, a coalition of organizations defending the freedom to read have joined forces to augment the film’s reach including PEN America, the American Library Association and Penguin Random House. The move signals a commitment from different organizations to champion independent filmmaking at a time when the most basic democratic values are under siege and the documentary market is shrinking. 

THE LIBRARIANS traverses small-town U.S.A. capturing the shared experience and heroic actions of besieged librarians as they find themselves at the center of what has become a large-scale coordinated extremist movement against freedom of information. Faced with the choice to either fall in line or defend our most fundamental rights, these brave librarians have made the choice to risk everything and be the first line of defense against current attacks on our democratic values. The film is not only a timely call to action against the attempts to curtail access to often life saving information for students, it is also an urgent reminder of what is at stake if the marginalized voices at the core of the issues are silenced. 

In the US, the film is set for a two-week run at the Film Forum in New York starting October 3rd and a week in Los Angeles beginning October 10th at the Laemmle Royal, followed by a national rollout led by 8 Above in over 40 cities across the country. The tour will also encompass special screenings and townhall conversations in partnership with local libraries and community groups in regions around the entire country that are affected by censorship efforts. Many of these screenings will coincide with Banned Books Week (October 5-11). Dogwoof, who are handling international sales on the film, will be releasing the film in select cinemas across the UK and Ireland from September 26. The film will also have broadcast premieres on BBC's Storyville strand and Independent Lens later in the season.

Since the film’s international premiere at Sheffield DocFest and screening at Melbourne International Film Festival, the appetite has grown for discussions about how this ideology is spreading outside the US with screening and panel invitations from The Bodleian Library at Oxford University, the German National Library and the Zurich Film Festival for their Save Democracy section.

"When we began this journey three and half years ago, we were struck by the courage of what was to become a diverse cast of inspiring patriots fighting at great risk to protect our first amendment rights. Our vision evolved to create a mosaic weaving together their stories set against the backdrop of a historically unique time, imbued by archival references, an original score by Nico Muhly and references to some of our greatest challenged books,” said Director Kim A. Snyder. “In a particularly fraught time for our documentary community, I feel fortunate to have partnered early on with Independent Lens which allowed me to protect the creative integrity of my vision at a time when our artistic freedom as storytellers is also increasingly at risk. I’m inspired to be working with an array of partners committed to releasing this film that has become part of a movement — one that brings this conversation to theaters, libraries, campuses, and public broadcast platforms across the country and beyond."

"This film offers a rich portrait of contemporary censorship and the threat it poses to our democracy in a manner unlike any film we’ve ever seen.” said Jonathan Friedman, Sy Sims Director, US Free Expression Programs of PEN America, a key partner on the film’s impact campaign. "In so doing, it is a clarion call for citizens to rise in defense of libraries and librarians -- the community spaces where critical thinking and open access to information are today being put in jeopardy.”

The film was produced by Snyder, Janique L. Robillard (Death by Numbers), Maria Cuomo Cole (Newtown, The Hunting Ground), and Jana Edelbaum (Beyond Utopia). Sarah Jessica Parker executive produced through her Pretty Matches shingle. 

Following its Sundance debut, The LIBRARIANS played over 50 domestic and international festivals, including SXSW, Full Frame, DC/DOX, Frameline, Miami, Sarasota Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, Phoenix, Traverse City, Denver, Woodstock, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Provincetown. The film has won nine jury and audience awards.

Other credits include editors Mark Becker, María Gabriela Torres, Leah Boatright and Austin Reedy; cinematographers Paulius Kontijevas, Amy Bench, Derek Wiesehahn; and composer Nico Muhly.

ABOUT THE LIBRARIANS

Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy 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.

Directed and Produced by Kim A. Snyder

Produced by Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum

Co-Produced by Cynthia Kane

Executive Produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson, Hallee Adelman, Amber Alonso, Kate Garwood, Marni E. J. Grossman, Geralyn Dreyfous, Tegan Acton, Emma Pompetti, Thomas Campbell Jackson, Penny B. Jackson, Melony & Adam Lewis, Regina K. Scully, Peter Resnick, Christian Camargo, Colleen DeVeer, Misan Sagay, Rachel Cohen, Heidi Stolte, Chris Stolte, Ruth Ann Harnisch, Lois Vossen, Carrie Lozano

Co-Executive Produced by Jamie Wolf, Nathalie Seaver, Deepen Shah, Taylor Vila, Beesham A. Seecharan, Claire Demere

Supervising Editor Mark Becker

Editors Austin Reedy, María Gabriela Torres, Leah Boatright

Animation by Tal Kantor and Yoav Brill

Music by Nico Muhly

Cinematography by Paulius Kontijevas, Derek Wiesehan, Amy Bench