In 2021, Matt Krause, a Texas state representative, circulated a list of 850 books which he claimed were harmful to young readers. The list turned out to focus largely on queer themes and racial issues. Shortly afterwards, the Governor of Texas demanded that all these books be removed from school libraries immediately. Other states soon followed suit. The revelatory documentary The Librarians shows how librarians and their allies became the target of conservative America in a witch hunt that bears chilling parallels.

The dedicated documentary-maker Kim A. Snyder (of the Oscar-nominated film Death by Numbers) pays tribute to the heroes who dare to speak out in the fight against the banning – and even the burning – of books. Using archive footage and new testimonies, she reveals how censorship has become part of a wider political campaign to take control of school boards. Are librarians the last line of defence in a terrifying culture war?

With a reflection by Kristin Keller (Howest & OpenDeur vzw) and Carol Vanhoutte (team leader at Kortrijk Library).

In collaboration with Avansa, Bibliotheek Kortrijk & Howest.