Book banning was nothing new to the world, but in October 2021, Texas State Representative Matt Krause issued a list of 850 books for schools to review for obscene and race-related content, urging officials to develop standards to ensure “pornography” and anything that may make students feel “discomfort, guilt or anguish” be removed. As the culture wars rage, parental rights groups dig in nationwide and pre-existing book review protocols are overturned by school boards across the country. A chilling effect sets in as book-banning crusaders become more coordinated and vulnerable librarians are targeted ferociously.
Biography:
Kim A Snyder’s most recent film, Death by Numbers, was Oscar-nominated for Best Short Documentary. Prior films include Us Kids, which premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and won fourteen subsequent festival awards. Before that, she directed the Peabody Award-winning documentary Newtown, which also premiered in the U.S. Competition at Sundance. Her short documentary, Lessons from a School Shooting, continued her exploration of youth trauma and activism. Snyder’s other works include the feature documentary Welcome to Shelbyville, I Remember Me and Trevor.
Janique L Robillard is a documentary filmmaker and creative producer. Her recent producing credits include Death by Numbers, which was nominated for the 2025 Academy Awards: Best Documentary Short Film, and The Librarians, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Her freelance work spans live-action and animated content, including broadcast commercials for Nike, Google and other major brands, as well as music videos. Janique actively seeks opportunities to elevate marginalized communities, as seen in her documentary 1000 Times and through her collaboration with Free Body Project.
Maria Cuomo Cole is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning producer recognized for creating social impact through compelling, artful storytelling. She most recently produced the Academy Award-nominated documentary short film Death by Numbers, as well as The Librarians Us Kids all in collaboration with director/producer Kim A. Snyder. The film team also partnered on Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane and Newtown. She also produced The Hunting Ground.
