Cincinnati Goes to the Movies: The Public

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Join us as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with our film tribute, Cincinnati Goes to The Movies. We kick off our 3-film series with The Public (2018) directed by Emilio Estevez and filmed in our very own Cincinnati Public Library. 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. This is a film that challenges what is policy versus what is ethical. Downtown Cincinnati and the surrounding area are feature prominently especially the Cincinnati Library. 2 hours running time PG-13