NYWIFT Member Screening: ‘The ABCs of Book Banning’

Join us for a virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of The ABC’s of Book Banning, followed by a live Q&A with director Sheila Nevins!

Screen the film: Private link will be sent and available to view any time from Dec 1 through Dec 5.
Join the Q&A: Tuesday, December 5 at 6 PM ET 
Platform: Zoom
Cost: Free to attend

RSVP

About the Film

The ABC’s of Book Banning

Director: Sheila Nevins / Co-Directors: Trish Adlesic, Naz Habtezghi
2023, Documentary, 27 min.

In recent years, more than 2,500 books have been removed from school districts around the US, labeled as banned, restricted, or challenged, and made unavailable to millions of students. By no accident, the themes targeted are the usual scapegoats of the American Right—LGBTQ+ issues, Black History, and women’s empowerment—impeding the power of future generations to develop their own thoughts and opinions on critical social issues.

By weaving together a lyrical montage of young readers and authors, The ABCs of Book Banning reveals the voices of the impacted parties, and inspires hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.

Panelists

NYWIFT Member Sheila Nevins is an Executive Producer for MTV Documentary Films. Sheila is the former president of HBO Documentary Films and Family Programming for Home Box Office. At HBO, she was responsible for overseeing the development and production of more than 1500 programs for HBO, HBO2 and Cinemax. Sheila has spent the past five years starting a Department at MTV Documentary Films: Among the 2022 Slate: Last Flight Home: Shortlisted for the 2023 Academy Awards and Nominated for an Emmy, As Far As They Can Run: Shortlisted for the 2023 Academy Awards and Nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy, Among the 2021 Slate: Ascension: Nominated for the 2022 Academy Awards, Coded: Shortlisted for the 2022 Academy Awards and Nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy, Among the 2020 Slate: 76 Days: Shortlisted for the 2021 Academy Awards, Received both an Emmy and a Peabody Award, Hunger Ward: Nominated for the 2021 Academy Awards, Finding Yingying: Nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy.

Sheila has received 32 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 35 News and Documentary Emmys® and 42 George Foster Peabody Awards. During her tenure, HBO’s critically acclaimed documentaries won 26 Academy Awards®, including A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, Citizenfour (2015), Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2015), Saving Face (2012), Strangers No More (2011), Music By Prudence (2010), Smile Pinki (2009), The Blood of Yingzhou District (2007), Born Into Brothels (2005), Chernobyl Heart (2004), Murder on a Sunday Morning (2002), King Gimp (2000), One Survivor Remembers (1996), I Am a Promise (1994), Educating Peter (1993) and You Don’t Have To Die (1989). 

Christina Kiely (Moderator)(Director/Producer/Writer) has been producing and directing documentaries for over 25 years. Most recently she has been directing and producing (with her producing partner Sean Gullette) Grrrls in Exile: The Sixsters, a feature documentary about an exceptional all-girl Ukrainian rock band who fled the war to became anti-war rock ambassadors.

Kiely wrote, directed and produced ABC News’ first digital documentary series, A Murder On Orchard Street.  and co-produced the accompanying podcast to the 7-part series (2018) – which hit #1 on Apple Podcasts. In 2004 she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the ABC News documentary series NYPD 24/7.  While at ABC she also produced for the series In the Jury Room and the weekly news magazine Primetime Mondays.  Outside of ABC, Christina has produced and directed numerous programs, including the A&E Biography of Yo-Yo Ma, 12 hours of the TLC series Code Blue, the PBS weekly news magazine Rights & Wrongs: Human Rights Television, and various documentaries for the International Labor Organization of the United Nations. 

In development: Ace to Ace, a docu-series about diversifying the world of tennis and its next generation of stars (James Blake, Chanda Rubin, Ivan Lendl, the Bryan Brothers and more, attached). Kiely is also part of a screenwriting duo with her sister, author Maria Kiely. Their family comedy We Should Celebrate is in development with producers Rachel Watanabe-Batton and Jane Startz.