Wiseman's New York: Ex-Libris: The New York Public Library

About this event

Dir. Frederick Wiseman. 2017. 197 mins. Digital projection. Fifty years and 42 documentaries into his legendary career, Frederick Wiseman brings his incisive vision to one of the world’s greatest institutions of learning, capturing the vast programmatic scope of the New York Public Library. From the storied Fifth Avenue main branch to the Schomburg Center in Harlem to numerous of the 92 branches across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, Wiseman finds a staff grappling with what a 21st–century library should and could be, guests from Patti Smith to Ta-Nehisi Coates wrestling with ideas and history, and New Yorkers of all races and classes coming together to learn, engage, and access resources, exemplifying the value of community. This screening is presented in collaboration with UnionDocs’ special inter-borough series Wiseman’s New York. Over the course of his six-decade career, the late, great documentarian returned to New York more than any single location, making nine films in the city, from Hospital (1970) and Welfare (1975) toIn Jackson Heights (2015) and Ex-Libris (2017). Tickets: $17.50 / $12 senior and students / $10 youth / $7 MoMI members. There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases. The cost of admission may be applied toward a same-day purchase of a membership. Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission.