Cincinnati Goes to the Movies: The Public

Join us as we celebrate America's 250 th 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