All the World's Memory
★ 7.1 · 1956 · 21m · Documentary
A documentary about the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. It presents the building, with its processes of cataloguing and preserving all sorts of printed material, as both a monument of cultural memory and as a monstrous, alien being.
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American Animals
2018 · ★ 6.7
Lexington, Kentucky, 2004. Four young men attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in the history of the United States.
More info →A Walk Through Prospero's Library
1992 · ★ 7
A short made for TV with director Peter Greenaway discussing the dazzling 3.5 minute opening sequence from his film, 'Prospero's Books'. As Prospero (John Gielgud) walks through his library, Greenaway comments on the historical, mythological, biblical & fictional characters occupying the library.
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The Librarians
2025 · ★ 7.1
As an unprecedented wave of book banning is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy.
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Biblioburro, the Donkey Library
2008
This documentary follows the life of a one-of-a-kind man, and his one-of-a-kind library. Luis Soriano is a Colombian schoolteacher who spends weekends taking his donkey, and book collection, to the poverty-ridden towns of Magdalena Province. Facing down drug dealers, dangerous creatures, and overbearing heat, Soriano bravely faces down fear to promote education and literature.
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The Feminist Library
2016 · ★ 10
The Feminist Library: A Short Film was made in support of the Save the Feminist Library Campaign, documenting a crucial moment in the library's herstory as it fights for its very survival. Shortlisted for the Women's History Network Community Prize, the film revisits the story of the library's inception and emphasises why feminism remains essential today.
More info →The People's Palace: A Portrait of the New York Public Library
1991
With a mission of collecting, preserving and making accessible the materials of human culture, the New York Public Library plays a vital role in the cultural life of the Big Apple. This film provides a multifaceted portrait of the institution. Viewers will learn about the library's history, collections and research centers as well as the individuals charged with upholding its mission while always keeping an eye to the future.
More info →National Culture Monument
1953
Besides presenting an actual exhibition, this film about a Monument of National Literatuře also presents an interpretation of the history of Czech literature that was subject to the mores of that time. It looks at the exhibition chronologically, it comments on documents from the beginnings of the national literature up to the 1950s, emphasises the importance of the relationship of the present time with the national cultural tradition. It labels the museum itself as a “people’s university” and draws attention to its educational role.
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Embassy of the Free Mind
2024 · ★ 9
UNESCO Memory of the World: Explore the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica’s new home with 25,000+ rare books on alchemy, hermetica & mysticism at the Embassy of the Free Mind museum, set in Amsterdam’s historic canal mansion, the House with the Heads.
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Caravan of the Books: Kenya's Mobile Camel Library
★ 6.5
A library on four legs, the world's only existing Camel Library is located in Northern Kenya. As they pass antelopes and giraffes, the heavily loadedcaravan of camels are routinely carrying books through the rough savannah.In the villages with their houses of mud and dung these tenacious desert ships are wishfully awaited by the people of the nomadic Muslim tribes. Under the shade of acacia trees, especially the children are excitedly turning pages of school books, novels and comics. However, 400 kilometers outside of the capital city of Nairobi the local librarians are still struggling with illiteracy, old traditions, insufficient funds, blistering sun and - stubborn camels... This is the story about the Camel Library, about inquisitive children, about the origins of a book and about a camel and an exceptional librarian in the heart of Africa within the UNESCO-world decade of alphabetization.
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The Case For Books
1966
This film about Library services in Australia shows some of the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library, the National Library with its varied resources and examples of State, University, special and public services suggesting their value in meeting needs for information at all levels. The library movement has become a vital part of Australian life. How libraries have fitted into society all over Australia, from the bustle of Sydney's Kings Cross to the remote outback.
More info →Hungry Minds
2012 · ★ 7
Α Bengalese architect builds library boats that can bring books to people even during the monsoon season. Α Mongolian author packs two boxes full of books each summer to provide reading material to children in remote areas. Α Kenyan librarian leads caravans of camels loaded with boxes of books to the nomadic tribes bordering Somalia. Despite the heat, wind, rain or snow, they still manage their long journeys. This film about the fascinating world of mobile libraries tells of unusual means of transportation and adventurous travel, of different cultures and lifestyles, of the worries, aspirations and dreams of people in these areas – of books that change lives – and of book lovers, who take on unbelievable challenges in order to provide people in the remotest areas of the world with reading material. A film about the love of literature and the respect for knowledge that accepts no boundaries.
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