EX LIBRIS: The New York Public Library by director Frederick Wiseman

Yesterday, the world theatrical premiere of EX LIBRIS – The New York Public Library took place at the Film Forum in New York. The documentary is made by Frederick Wiseman (recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 2016), the legendary filmmaker that brings his incisive vision behind the scenes of one of the world’s greatest institutions of learning, capturing the vast programmatic scope of NYC’s library system.

“In EX LIBRIS, in which he focuses on The New York Public Library, such a moment comes when Francine Houben, creative director of the firm selected to renovate the institution’s iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman building in midtown Manhattan, explains that libraries are not about books, or their storage, but about people. With this simple statement Houben encompasses the spirit of Wiseman’s generous, enlightening look at one of the most important organizations in the city, and as the film suggests, perhaps also an essential tool in preserving the American ideal of freedom and equality.”

EX LIBRIS: The New York Public Library is now playing at Film Forum and expanding in the coming weeks.

You can read the full review at The Film Stage