The Librarians

Play trailer

The Librarians

Now Playing

1h 34m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

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.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Depressing and alarming stuff.

Oct 7, 2025

Full Review

Nell Minow

RogerEbert.com

This movie reminds us there is just one way to separate truth from propaganda: learning.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 3, 2025

Full Review

Sheri Linden

New York Times

From its superb opening-credits sequence paying tribute to card catalogs of yore to its sharp selection of vintage clips and intimate reportage, “The Librarians” is as well-crafted as it is profoundly alarming.

Oct 2, 2025

Full Review

Carla Renata

The Curvy Film Critic

Librarians are the gatekeepers to the freedoms in the mind to dream filtered through the simple education of words. Wonderfully executed an produced for all of history moving forward in time

Oct 13, 2025

Full Review

Matt Mahler

PopMatters

The Librarians is a vital David and Goliath documentary of the fight against book banning, a harbinger of fascism, in America.

Oct 6, 2025

Full Review

Ian Hrabe

MovieJawn

The Librarians does a good enough job showing that book bans are at the forefront of a slippery slope toward authoritarianism for me to recommend it.

Oct 6, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Stephen C

Real footage in 1 hour and 34 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/04/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Kim A. Snyder

Director

Carolyn Foote

Self

Laney Hawes

Actor

Jeffrey Dove

Actor

Courtney Gore

Actor

Nancy Jo Lambert

Actor

Zurawski v Texas

100%

99%

Zurawski v Texas

Watchlist

Antidote

91%

%

Antidote

Watchlist

Plan C

96%

%

Plan C

Watchlist

The American Question

%

95%

The American Question

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The American Question

Life After

100%

%

Life After

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Life After

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

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.

Director: Kim A. Snyder
Producer: Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum
Screenwriter: Leo Muñoz, Claudio X. González, Jack Youngelson
Distributor: Independent Lens
Production Co: Good Gravy Films, Two Chairs Productions, Artemis Rising Productions, Pretty Matches Productions, World of HA Productions, The Brandt Jackson Foundation, iDeal Partners Film Fund, ITVS International, Independent Television Service, Cuomo Cole Productions, KA Snyder Productions, The Harnisch Foundation, Independent Lens
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 34m