Directors Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor expected to attend
One of the most valued yet endangered institutions, public libraries were founded on a visionary principle: to create a space where anyone can access a universe of information, free of charge. Director Dawn Logsdon travels across the United States, uncovering the stories of historic and modern-day figures who have shaped libraries into pillars of democracy. From the Lower East Side of New York to the Chinatowns of the American West, this inquisitive documentary examines how libraries have supported immigrant communities and how those communities, in turn, have shaped public libraries. It draws stark parallels between the book bans of Nazi Germany and those happening today across the U.S., probing the ways in which the institution has upheld the core values of accessibility and intellectual freedom. Free For All: The Public Library celebrates the civic institution where communities are built, futures are imagined, and, in Jewish tradition, the pursuit of knowledge is valued and encouraged.
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Dawn Logsdon's career has been dedicated to making films about civic issues and city life, particularly at the neighborhood level. She directed and produced Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (2008) which premiered nationally at the Tribeca International Film Festival. It went on to win the SFIFF Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary and was a PBS Black History Month feature presentation three years in a row. Dawn co-directed and edited Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton (2013) and Lindy Boggs: Steel and Velvet (2008). Dawn edited the Sundance Award-winning Paragraph 175 by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Freidman, Academy Award-nominated Weather Underground by Sam Green, Emmy award-winning Have You Heard from Johannesburg? by Connie Field, the Peabody award-winning The Castro by Peter Stein and the critically-acclaimed feature-length essay films The Joy of Life and The Royal Road by Jenni Olson. Short films Dawn produced and directed include Tomboy, which was exhibited at the Whitney Museum and aired on PBS. Dawn received a BA in Philosophy from UC Berkeley. Her honors include a Soros OSI Media Fellowship, California Arts Council Artist Residency, BAVC Media Maker Award, Djerassi Artist Residency, Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship, New Orleans Contemporary Art Center Artist Fellowship, and the New Orleans Arts Council Award.
Lucie Faulknor produced and researched Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans and has worked with award-winning directors Dorothy Fadiman and Lynn Hershman-Leeson in the areas of fundraising, publicity, outreach and community engagement. Faulknor has also produced Dublin Ireland's first Women in Film & Television film festival and presented a lecture series that included Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, Wayne Shorter, Sydney Pollack and others. She has worked for a number of arts organizations including City Arts & Lectures, SFJAZZ, Presidio Theatre, Palace of Fine Arts Theater, the Irish Arts Foundation, Stern Grove Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens, Dublin (IRL) Fringe Festival and for a number individual performing and visual artists including Jim Campilongo, Storm Large, Tracy Snelling and Kevin Woodson. She has a Master's degree in Nonprofit Administration from USF's School of Business & Professional Studies and a B.A. in Arts Management from SFSU. Lucie is a fourth generation San Francisco Public Library user.
Offers priority admission to all screenings February 22–23, 2025 at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco. Not valid for screenings on Tuesday, February 18.
$75 JFI Members • $100 General Public
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