EX LIBRIS - The Public Library of New York

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Movie
German title EX LIBRIS - The Public Library of New York
Original title Bookplate - The New York Public Library
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2017
length 197 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
Rod
Director Frederick Wiseman
script Frederick Wiseman
camera John Davey
cut Frederick Wiseman

EX LIBRIS - The Public Library of New York (Original title: Ex Libris - The New York Public Library ) is a documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman in 2017 . The American production focuses on the work of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and its branches.

The film premiered on September 4, 2017 in competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival . In Germany, the film was shown for the first time on October 8, 2017 as part of the Hamburg Film Festival . The German theatrical release was October 24, 2018 ( Library Day ).

action

The film shows the New York Public Library and its 92 branches as a place for imparting knowledge, at the center of which are the employees and visitors. Without direct interviews or comments, the film documents the inner structure of the library, captures lectures on the subject of slavery, a book presentation by Elvis Costello or job courses with health workers and firefighters. Both the situation at locations in Manhattan and in less frequented residential areas as well as the situation of immigrants are portrayed .

History of origin

In EX LIBRIS - The Public Library of New York is the 42nd directorial work of Frederick Wiseman. The shooting took place over several weeks in 2015. The filmmaker said he was surprised by the wide variety of services libraries offer today: “Today's libraries have become community centers with school programs for children and adult education courses in languages, citizenship, business and computer programming. Regardless of the current American political scene, the library remains an ideal of inclusion , democracy and freedom of expression, ”said Wiseman. When presenting his film at the Venice Film Festival, he stated that the library was a Darwinist “antidote” to the image of society (not: an “antidote” to the Darwinist image of society) of US President Donald Trump (quote from the daily newspaper corrected).

reception

After its premiere, EX LIBRIS - The Public Library of New York received almost without exception positive reviews in the Anglo-American region. On the Rotten Tomatoes website , the film received a rating of 97 percent with an average rating of 8.3 out of 10 points and was able to convince almost all critics.

The documentary also received mostly positive reviews in German-speaking countries:

Michael Pekler ( Der Standard ) counted the documentary among the “highlights of the festival”. Wiseman shows the library "not as a place for storing books, but as a place for imparting knowledge, at the center of which are the employees and visitors". As always, the filmmaker refrains from interviews and commentary and trusts “his astute observation and a sophisticated montage”.

Tim Caspar Boehme ( the daily newspaper ) put the running time of three and a half hours into perspective, which is hardly noticeable in the film. Like Pekler, he noted that libraries “see themselves primarily as places where people with education are to be empowered, especially now via the Internet,” rather than just “storehouses for books”. Wiseman change "imperceptibly between soberly filmed events and atmospheric settings without exploiting his subject for beautiful motifs."

According to Andreas Borcholte ( Spiegel Online ), despite his old age, the director “still has a feel for the current political zeitgeist” by emphasizing “above all the concerns of the Afro-American community in New York”. Wiseman “spectacularly sober showcase” is “the beneficial, rational counterpart” to “ Mother! -Hysteria “of his compatriot Darren Aronofsky .

Susanne Ostwald ( Neue Zürcher Zeitung ) noted rich impressions, but the film adds up to "a somewhat distant advertising campaign in the service of a good cause".

Awards

EX LIBRIS - The New York Public Library competed in the Venice Film Festival competition for the Golden Lion , the festival's top prize. There the documentary was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize and the Fair Play Cinema Award. Also in 2017, Wiseman's directorial work won the Critics Choice Documentary Award, International Cinephile Society Award and Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for best documentary.

The film was shortlisted for a nomination in the Best Documentary category for the 2018 Academy Awards , but did not make it into the final five nominated productions.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b "Frederick Wiseman - Ex libris. The New York Public Library ”. La Biennale di Venezia, August 4, 2017. Accessed September 9, 2017. http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2017/program-cinema-2017/frederick-wiseman-ex-libris-new-york- public-library-0 .
  2. ^ A b "Zipporah Films EX LIBRIS - The New York Public Library". Accessed September 9, 2017. http://www.zipporah.com/films/46 .
  3. ↑ a b “A closer look at a place where knowledge is imparted - Venice Film Festival - derStandard.at› Culture ”. Accessed September 9, 2017. http://derstandard.at/2000063590480/Filmfestival-Venedig-Genaue-Blicke-auf-einen-Ort-der-Wissensvermittlung .
  4. ^ A b "Ex Libris - The New York Public Library". Accessed September 9, 2017. - ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tiff.net
  5. ^ Peitz, Christiane. “Boos for Aronofsky's 'Mother!'” Der Tagesspiegel Online, September 6, 2017. http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/filmfestspiele-in-venedig-buh-ruf-fuer-aronofskys-mother/20286614. html .
  6. ↑ Ex Libris: New York Public Library. Accessed October 15, 2018. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ex_libris_new_york_public_library/ .
  7. ↑ Boehme, Tim Caspar. "Venice Film Festival - Lidokino Part 4: Perfectly calcified leading actors". The daily newspaper: taz, September 4, 2017, section Culture. Accessed September 9, 2017. http://www.taz.de/!5444333/ .
  8. ↑ Borcholte, Andreas: "" Mother! " with Jennifer Lawrence: Tormented From Above | Mirror online". Accessed September 9, 2017. http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/kino/mother-mit-jennifer-lawrence-gequaele-von-ganz-oben-a-1166230.html .
  9. ↑ "74. Venice International Film Festival: Police officers, pastors and an amphibious man - the highlights in the competition | NZZ ". Accessed September 9, 2017. https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/74-internationales-filmfestival-venedig-polizisten-pfarrer-und-ein-amphibienmann-die-highlights-im-wettbewerb-ld.1314590 .
  10. ↑ "FIPRESCI - Venice 2017". Accessed September 9, 2017. http://www.fipresci.org/news/venice-2017 .
  11. ^ "Collateral Awards of the 74th Venice Film Festival". La Biennale di Venezia, September 9, 2017. http://www.labiennale.org/en/news/collateral-awards-74th-venice-film-festival .
  12. ↑ 15 Documentary Features Advance in Oscar Race In: oscars.org, December 7, 2017.