Now Showing @ ALA Schedule

Saturday, June 22

Change the Subject

This film shares the story of a group of college students, who from their first days at Dartmouth College, were committed to advancing and promoting the rights and dignity of undocumented peoples. In partnership with staff at Dartmouth, these students – now alumni – produced a film to capture their singular effort at confronting an instance of anti-immigrant sentiment in their library catalog. Their advocacy took them all the way from Baker-Berry Library to the halls of Congress, showing how an instance of campus activism entered the national spotlight, and how a cataloging term became a flashpoint in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill.

Run Time: 54 min.
Preview: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/changethesubject/trailer/
 

Free for All: Inside the Public Library (Preview/Teaser)

A documentary project exploring the history, spirit, and challenges of the free public library. With public libraries around the nation facing drastic budget cuts and even closures, Free for All investigates why so many Americans love their libraries and assesses the high stakes for democracy if public libraries become extinct.  Don't miss this unique opportunity for a sneak peak at excerpts from the film before its formal release later this year.

This film will be screened in conjunction with the FMRT Chair's Program at 2:30-3:30pm, FMRT Presents A Conversation with Filmmakers Now Showing @ALA. The filmmakers, Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor, will also present the LHRT Edward G. Holly Memorial Lecture on Sunday, June 23rd at 10:30am.

Run Time: 30 min.
Preview: https://freeforallfilms.org/
Sponsored by: Film Media Round Table, Serendipity Films, Library History Round Table

Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart

The first-ever feature documentary about Lorraine Hansberry, the visionary playwright who authored the groundbreaking A Raisin in the Sun. An overnight sensation, the play transformed the American theater and has long been considered a classic, yet the remarkable story of the playwright faded from view. With this documentary, filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain resurrects the Lorraine Hansberry we have forgotten, a passionate artist, committed activist and sought-after public intellectual who waged an outspoken and defiant battle against injustice in 20th-century America. The film reveals Hansberry's prescient works tackling race, human rights, women's equality, and sexuality that anticipated social and political movements on the horizon.

This 2019 American Library Association (ALA) Film and Media Round Table (FMRT) Notable Video for Adults, Peabody and NAACP Image Award winning film will be screened in conjunction with the FMRT Chair's Program at 2:30-3:30pm, FMRT Presents A Conversation with Filmmakers Now Showing @ALA.

Run Time: 118 min.
Preview: https://www.sightedeyesfeelingheart.com/
Sponsored by: Film Media Round Table, California Newsreel

American Creed

With funding from the NEH, ALA and Citizen Film have made grants to 50 U.S. public libraries to present American Creed: Community Conversations programming. These programs will invite audiences to consider what America's ideals and identity ought to be through screenings of, and conversations about, the PBS documentary American Creed. During this screening and discussion event,  ALA conference attendees will learn how to access free resources and engage their unique communities with questions of economic development, job security, education, immigration, ethnicity, social mobility and class in the light of stories presented in the film. Resources will be available for public, academic and high school libraries. 

Run Time: 55 min.
Preview: https://www.pbs.org/video/official-trailer-845n5c/
Sponsored by:  ALA Public Programs Office
 

No Small Matter

This film confronts America's most pressing problems with an unlikely but powerful weapon: babies and young children. From home to childcare to preschool, high-quality early care and education has far-reaching impacts, and groundbreaking science to back it up. With a healthy dose of humor and a surprising edge, No Small Matter reveals the tragic cost of getting this wrong, and the huge payoff for our kids, our families, and our country of getting it right. Community spaces like libraries play a hugely important role in educating our youngest children, as accessible, free opportunities for engaging in books and with neighbors and friends. The film is intended to raise awareness among the general public about the urgency of addressing early education, and we hope can serve as a tool in libraries for engaging with parents. For librarians focused on older children and adults in their work, we hope the film can also shed light on the huge impact working with young children can have on their long-term development. And for librarians working with children ages 0-8, we hope seeing the critical importance of early educators reflected on the screen will be a feel-good opportunity for reflection and appreciation.

Run Time: 75 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shm-KRh4LFg
Sponsored by:  Association for Library Service to Children
 

Batman & Bill

"They will write folk songs about you for this." Brad Ricca, author, Super Boys. This is a story truly unprecedented in both children's literature and cultural history, inspiring not only this film but also a TED Talk, a segment on NPR's All Things Considered, standing-room-only talks at cultural centers and comic conventions, and coverage in mainstream media from TheNew York Times to The Today Show. It is bringing librarians and many others worldwide to tears. No need to take my word for it; simply skim any five tweets here: http://www.noblemania.com/2017/12/most-humbling-batman-bill-tweetsposts.html.

The film follows one author's nine-year campaign to correct a 76-year-old injustice, despite experts saying the effort was futile. It vividly shows the power of a children's book to bring about real-world change BEYOND a love of reading, and in a way that hasn't been seen before.

Librarians and other educators are using it for instruction because it portrays primary research as adventure accessible to all who have played hide and seek; the movie opens with the author engaging an assembly of students at an elementary school. The depth of the detective work the project involved stuns both adults and kids alike. Travis Jonker of School Library Journal (100 Scope Notes): "From the first scene, I was all in. Nobleman's determination brought out a few different 'oh wow' revelations. The final scene had me smiling big." (http://100scopenotes.com/2017/05/04/books-on-film-batman-bill/).

It has been called the best documentary of the year, best film of the year, even best doc ever. The Boston Globe described it as Citizen Kane with a twist." Another reaction: "I feel like I just watched Rocky for the first time." Venues that have programmed a screening of the film followed by a spirited Q&A include the American Association of School Librarians conference, Virginia State Reading Association conference, State of Maryland International Reading Council conference, American School of Lima in Peru, Casablanca American School in Morocco, and Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts conference. The story takes every audience by surprise in the best way. It's guaranteed positive buzz onsite and online!

Run Time: 90 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59c4Lfpii9w
 

Sunday, June 23

Ashes in the Snow 

This is a coming-of-age tale of a young girl, who with her mother and younger brother is deported to a Soviet labor camp amid Stalin's reign of terror in the Baltic region during World War II. An aspiring artist, she secretly documents her harrowing journey with her drawings. In 1941, sixteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father gets separated from the family and put in a prison camp. Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives, she will honor her family, and the thousands like her, by documenting the experience in her art and notes. She risks everything, hoping that her messages in art will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know his family is still alive. 

Run Time: 98 min.
Preview: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3759298/videoplayer/vi372423193?ref_=tt_ov_vi
Sponsored by: Penguin Young Readers

Councilwoman

Councilwoman is the inspiring story of Carmen Castillo, an immigrant Dominican housekeeper in a Providence hotel who wins a seat in City Council, taking her advocacy for low-income workers from the margins to city politics. The film follows Castillo’s first term as she balances her full-time day job as a housekeeper with her family life and the demands of public office. She faces skeptics who say she doesn’t have the education to govern, the power of corporate interests who take a stand against her fight for a $15 hourly wage, and a tough re-election against two contenders. As Castillo battles personal setbacks and deep-rooted notions of who is qualified to run for political office, she fiercely defends her vision of a society in which all people can earn enough to support themselves and their families.  An eye-opening look at entrenched power in American democracy. An excellent resource for Latinx, Immigrant, Political Science, and Labor Studies courses.

Run Time: 57 min.
Preview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z_8_Tq2-I4&list=PLrmBmVRvD22-uU4AU2P3H5ojqBXtF7wS1&index=15
Sponsored by: Time Travel Productions

To a More Perfect Union: U.S. v. Windsor

This film tells a story of love, marriage and a fight for equality. It chronicles two unlikely heroes, octogenarian Edie Windsor and her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, on their quest for justice: Edie had been forced to pay a huge estate tax bill upon the death of her spouse because the federal government denied federal benefits to same-sex couples ... and Edie’s spouse was a woman.  Deeply offended by this lack of recognition of her 40+ year relationship with the love of her life, Edie decided to sue the United States government – and won.

Beyond the story of this pivotal case in the marriage equality movement, the film also tells the story of our journey as a people, as a culture, and as citizens with equal rights. Windsor and Kaplan’s legal and personal journeys are told in their own words, and through interviews with others, including Lillian Faderman, a leading scholar on LGBTQ history, and Evan Wolfson, who first at Lambda Legal and later as founder of "Freedom to Marry" was the godfather of marriage equality in the U.S. and now worldwide. Legal observers. including Jeffrey Toobin from CNN and Nina Totenberg of National Public Radio also lend their insights.

Run Time: 63 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0J3Thbzrs0
Sponsored by:  First Run Features

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

This is an immensely engaging true story about an enterprising teenager in Malawi who builds a windmill from scraps found around his village and brings electricity--and a future--himself and his family. This is a story of human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.

Run Time: 113 min.
Preview: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7533152/videoplayer/vi2114501145?ref_=tt_ov_vi
Sponsored by:  HarperCollins Publishers
 

Birth on the Border

This intimate and personal documentary follows two women from Ciudad Juárez as they cross the U.S.-Mexico border legally to give birth in Texas, putting their hearts and bodies on the line as they confront harassment at the hands of U.S. border officials. One million people legally cross the U.S.- Mexico border every day in both directions. Among them are women who cross for the purposes of childbirth. With the threat of obstetrical violence in Mexican hospitals and the desire for natural birth with midwives, Gaby and Luisa make the difficult decision to cross the border to El Paso, seeking a safer future for their children. Even with papers, their journeys are uncertain.

With the current political climate, librarians will find this film helpful since it covers the backdrop of oppressive U.S. border policy and growing debates over immigration, these women's stories of risk, strength, and resiliency shed light on the realities and challenges of life on the border. Excellent resource for human rights, immigration, border, women, reproductive rights and violence against women studies."

Run Time: 28 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EunBlrM-w54
Sponsored by: Women Make Movies

Invisible Hands

Produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, Invisible Hands is the first feature documentary to expose child labor and trafficking within the supply chains of the world's biggest companies. Filmed in six countries including India, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Ghana, it is a harrowing account of children as young as six years old making the products we use every day. Invisible Hands marks the directorial debut of journalist Shraysi Tandon. Participants in the film include Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kailash Satyarthi; New York Times writer and two-time Pulitzer prize winner Nicholas Kristof; journalist/investigator Ben Skinner; author, activist, and expert on modern-day slavery and human trafficking Siddharth Kara; and Columbia Law School professor Mark Barenberg.

Run Time: 114 min.
Preview: https://vimeo.com/270714984
Sponsored by: First Run Features

Monday, June 24

Shoplifters

Academy Award-nominated for 2019 as Best Foreign Film, this real look at poverty in Japan is heartwarming, as well as heartbreaking. Every library should have this in their locations. One of 2019's best films!

Run Time: 121 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9382rwoMiRc
Sponsored by: Magnolia Pictures

The Biggest Little Farm

The visually stunning documentary The Biggest Little Farm follows documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly in their journey to create Apricot Lane Farms, a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles. The film chronicles eight years of daunting work and outsize idealism as they attempt to create a utopia: planting 10,000 orchard trees and over 200 different crops and bringing in animals of every kind, including an unforgettable pig named Emma and her best friend, Greasy the rooster. Along the way, they face challenges they never anticipated—from the land itself, drought and flooding, the farm’s animals, and the surrounding wildlife. They learn about the farm’s delicate ecosystem and the intricacies of nature—and how every animal, human, and plant on the farm must coexist in order to survive.

Saving Emma the Pig is the first in a new picture book series featuring the animals from Apricot Lane Farms. The book was first developed from John Chester’s short film, Saving Emma, which was featured on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and won an Emmy award. Full of inspiring lessons and warmth, these soothing stories are so much more than just cute animal tales—they introduce young readers to the life on a farm and the unique, heartwarming relationship between these animals and the people who care for them. In a world full of increasing concern about climate change and global warming, John and Molly’s mission to create a sustainable farm is one that will inspire and educate viewers.

This film would be an incredibly valuable resource for library programming about environmentalism, while the picture book is the perfect way to introduce young readers to this story and the concepts addressed in the film. The Biggest Little Farm will fascinate library patrons who are interested in environmentalism, sustainability, ecology, nature, or farming. This film and the book would also support STEM curriculums wonderfully. With its breathtaking visuals and inspiring message, The Biggest Little Farm brings viewers along on a fascinating journey that will no doubt entertain and inform them. It’s also a real treat for animal lovers—young and old!"

Run Time: 91 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfDTM4JxHl8
Sponsored by: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Saving Brinton

In a farmhouse basement on the Iowa countryside, eccentric collector Mike Zahs makes a remarkable discovery: the showreels of William Franklin Brinton, the man who brought moving pictures to America's Heartland.  Among the treasures: rare footage of President Teddy Roosevelt, the first moving images from Burma, a lost relic from magical effects godfather Georges Méliés.  These are the films that introduced movies to the world. Mike's journey to restore the Brinton name takes us to The Library of Congress, Paris, and back for a big screen extravaganza in the same small-town movie theater where Brinton first turned on a projector over a century ago.  By uniting community through a pride in their living history, Mike embodies a welcome antidote to the breakneck pace of our disposable society. Saving Brinton is a portrait of this unlikely Midwestern folk hero, at once a meditation on living simply and a celebration of dreaming big.

Run Time: 87 min.
Preview: http://www.passionriver.com/saving-brinton.html
Sponsored by: FMRT, Passion River Films

Colors of Love

Jan Spivey Gilchrist's story is jaw-dropping, with many riveting components of overcoming and great achievement.  The most compelling part of Jan's story is her love for children and how love is at the core of her art, and the impression she and her art leave on their beholders.  Her story crosses paths with many literary giants such as Eloise Greenfield, whom she collaborated on 29 books, the great Ashley Bryan, and the first African American Pulitzer Prize winner, Gwendolyn Brooks.

Run Time: 10 minute preview, plus Q&A Session
Preview: ubuntufilmstv.com 
Sponsored by: Stallion Books

Unlikely

Unlikely tells the stories of five diverse students, parent learners, immigrants, low-income, and first generation, as they pursue higher education. As a learning tool for local policymakers, a resource for non-profit organizations and educational institutions, or a hopeful narrative for the 35 million individuals in America with some college but no degree, Unlikely humanizes the complex issues and statistics facing higher education in America and is an important film to make available for librarians and the individuals they serve across the nation.

Run Time: 106 min.
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5YASi5J4Kc&feature=youtu.be 
Sponsored by: Jaye and Adam Fenderson