“The Librarians” explores book bans and First Amendment with special showing this Monday (10/20) in Yucca Valley

On Monday, October 20, Paradigm Cinemas in Yucca Valley will host a special screening of The Librarians (2025), directed by Kim Snyder. The documentary explores censorship across the country through the experience of librarians challenging local book bans, standing up for their work and First Amendment rights in the process. The screening  is organized by Hi-Desert residents Christian Camargo and Dana Balicki, the former serving as an Executive Producer on the film, through his company, Two Chairs Productions, formed with Peter Resnick.

Camargo explained that his interest in getting involved with the project stemmed from a moral concern about the infringement of First Amendment rights across the nation.

“The First Amendment, to me, is the first for a reason. It’s the most important amendment of our Constitution and what defines America. If you follow Nazi Germany and all of the other fascist regimes in the history of the world, one of the first things they did was ban books, keep people from reading, keep people from learning, because books represent knowledge, independent thought, and free will. You don’t have to be Republican or Democrat to understand the importance of this film and this message. This is an American issue.”

While The Librarians mainly documents the experiences of librarians in Florida, Texas, and other states, Camargo noted that censorship campaigns have and can spread across the country.

“Our community is absolutely at risk, and when I say at risk, I mean, at risk for the abuse of power and the silencing of the First Amendment…There are attempts everywhere in the States to suppress books. There are just certain states that are defending, and certain states that are allowing it to happen…Legislation is happening all over the place. It’s not getting approved everywhere, but what this film highlights is the first step.”

The state of California has taken steps to help protect First Amendment rights surrounding book bans in recent years. With the 2011 passing of the FAIR Education Act, California has mandated the inclusion of instructional materials featuring the contributions, history, and perspectives of marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and people with disabilities. Passed in 2023, Assembly Bill 1078 prohibits school districts from censoring instructional content with diverse perspectives, and provides mechanisms for State involvement should such bans occur. Further, Assembly Bill 1825 was passed in January of this year, which makes it illegal for public libraries to ban books based on the identity of the subject, author, or audience. 

While legislative efforts are notable, some of the  heroes in this movement for First Amendment rights can be found right here in our own community.

“You can identify with these librarians everywhere. We have them in Yucca, Joshua Tree, in Twentynine, and they are in this movie, the heroes, they’re on the front line.”

Camargo concluded by emphasizing that education is key to supporting local libraries, librarians, and First Amendment rights.

“Be aware, number one, actually know that this is actually happening. Watch this documentary and actually do your own research. Look up the Krause List and look up  all the books that are on this banned list. There’s now a Banned Book Week, which was this past week, where there was a lot of education and outreach in local libraries. We should really be talking about it and embracing these books.”

The Librarians will screen on Monday, October 20, at 7:00 p.m. at Paradigm Cinemas, located at 56401 Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley. 

Tickets are donation-based, and any profits will be returned to the hi-desert community.