Curtis Memorial Library will be hosting a film screening of “The Public” on Thursday, October 17, at 5:30 pm. The screening will be followed by a discussion that includes Tedford Housing’s executive director, Craig Phillips.
“The Public” was directed and written by Emilio Estevez, who also stars in the film alongside an ensemble cast including Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union, and Jeffrey Wright. The film had its world premiere on September 9, 2018, at the Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released in the United States in April.
After learning that emergency shelters are at full capacity when a brutal Midwestern cold front makes its way to Cincinnati, a large group of homeless library patrons led by Jackson (Michael Kenneth Williams) refuse to leave the downtown public library at closing time. What begins as a nonviolent Occupy-style sit-in and ragtag act of civil disobedience quickly escalates into a standoff with local riot police, led by a no-nonsense crisis negotiator (Alec Baldwin) and a savvy district attorney (Christian Slater) with lofty political ambitions, all as two librarians (Emilio Estevez and Jena Malone) are caught in the middle.
What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what’s really happening. This David versus Goliath story tackles some of our nation’s most challenging issues, homelessness and mental illness and sets the drama inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: your public library.
We hope you will join us for this free event (no tickets required). Free pizza and beverages provided starting 5:30 pm. Film starts promptly at 6:00 pm. Stay after the film for a conversation with Elisabeth Doucett, Executive Director of Curtis Memorial Library, and Craig Phillips, Executive Director of Tedford Housing.
