“You guys are my heroes”, announced Anne Seidl as she walked onstage at Vancouver’s Rio Theatre. Cheers broke out from the members of CUPE Local 391, Vancouver Public Library workers. Anne, the writer/director librarian of “Hollywood Librarian” flew to Vancouver from Wisconsin, bringing messages of support from American library workers. “We have been watching your fight for pay equity. Your courage and creativity have captured the hearts of library workers everywhere. You would think that I wrote my movie with your struggle in mind. Your struggle has laid a framework for pay equity. Thank you so much.”
We thought we should be thanking her. Anne has given Vancouver Public Library Workers exclusive rights to show her film, “The Hollywood Librarian”. What a wonderful gesture of solidarity.
“The Hollywood Librarian” offers clips of librarians as they have been portrayed in the movies, bespectacled, glamorous, smart and funny; juxtaposed with the real-life librarians, who are the gatekeepers of knowledge in an increasingly digital and globalizing world. The Hollywood Librarian makes critical points about how censorship intrudes in our lives and how access for all remains a right we must all defend.
Filmmakers of our local, James Gemmill and David Philip, brought their hilarious, loving and politically astute (yet incorrect), celebrations of library workers to the big screen. Much interest is being shown to these writer/directors from the media and members of the public. See http://cupe391.ca/blog2/ to view these wonderful and visually articulate creations of our members.