Librarians featured in Sundance doc on book bans receive standing ovation from SLC audience

Days after Utah banned its 15th book from all public schools, an independent film following the pressures school librarians face received a warm welcome from a Salt Lake City crowd at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Librarians,” a documentary by Kim A. Snyder, follows a handful of school librarians across the country — including in states like Texas, Florida and New Jersey — as they navigate a wave of book bans.

Many of the librarians featured in the film were present for a Q&A after the screening at Broadway Cinemas on Sunday, and over a dozen Utah librarians were also in the crowd.

The film is bracketed by quotes from books that have been challenged in the past in the United States, such as “Fahrenheit 451? by Ray Bradbury, “Ulysses” by James Joyce and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison.

George M. Johnson, author of “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” also attended the screening. The American Library Association named Johnson’s book the second-most banned and challenged book in the United States in 2023. In Utah, it was one of nine books that caused an uproar in the Canyons School District in 2021, but ultimately was not banned.

“I could have never thought [my book] would be at the center of political upheaval and conversation,” Johnson said. “But what I do know is that books save lives. It is why, despite the attempts to silence me, I continue to write queer books.”

The librarians featured in the film were met with a standing ovation from the Salt Lake City crowd. One of those librarians, Becky Caldaza from Texas, said what keeps her hopeful is when communities engage, whether it’s students, parents, or supporters who speak out at school board meetings or elsewhere.

Despite being one of the leading states in the country in book bans in the past few years, Utah authors and advocates continue to push back against censorship efforts.

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https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2025/01/28/sundance-documentary-showing/