Paywall: The Business of Scholarship

A thought-provoking documentary exposing the billion-dollar academic publishing industry that restricts access to scholarly research. Exploring how major publishers like Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley control access to scientific knowledge behind expensive paywalls, this film follows researchers, librarians, and activists fighting for open access to publicly-funded research. Featuring interviews with key figures in the open access movement, including Alexandra Elbakyan of Sci-Hub, the documentary examines how the current system harms scientific progress and public knowledge. Released under CC BY 4.0, this film advocates for making research freely available to everyone, everywhere.