- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
"Libraries were designed by men and built by men,
but it was the women that gave these buildings meaning."
That is a quote from tonight's film
Free for All: The Public Library.
This documentary chronicles the life of public libraries
across America, from their inception to their function,
and explores the battles over who can use them.
The film introduces us to the women
who helped brand what a library's integral function is
within a democracy.
The filmmakers also outline the struggles
that modern libraries face, including lack of funding,
closings, book bans,
and how they are managing to survive in a digital age.
Free for All explores themes like literacy, citizenship,
civic responsibility,
and even delves into racial injustice and immigration.
A compelling component of the documentary tonight
are interviews that the directors have with the women
who helped spearhead the free library movement.
In addition to footage of librarians past,
they interviewed current librarians
who talk about how the institutions serve families,
communities, and those in need by providing free access.
The film is directed by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor.
This is the first time the two have co-directed,
but not the first time they've worked together.
The ladies collaborated
on the award-winning film Faubourg Trem?:
The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
back in 2008, with Logsdon directing
and Faulkner producing and editing.
That film more or less birthed this current project.
It was while working together
to show the disparity and racial injustices of New Orleans
that the twosome realized
what an important part in communities libraries play,
especially when there is a natural disaster like Katrina.
Logsdon and Faulknor were impressed
by how tirelessly library staff members worked
to help coordinate locating missing people,
helping fellow citizens fill out FEMA paperwork,
and how librarians basically became first responders,
assisting misplaced people and getting them library cards
so they could use library computers
to keep the lines of communication open.
They both felt strongly that this film needed to be made.
And guess where they did most of the research?
The library.
The more and more fact-gathering they did,
they were both surprised to realize
that the subject had not been explored before
in the film world.
These two talented directors
might have been the main players on the team,
but they brought on some documentary-producing star power
in famed director-producer Stanley Nelson.
The award-winning Nelson is no stranger to PBS,
as many of his films have premiered or screened
on our network.
As prolific as Nelson is making his own films,
he is also incredibly supportive of other filmmakers.
Tonight, you'll see why.
Free for All: The Public Library starts now
on PBS Wisconsin, your home for independent film.