Finding the delicate balance between the hunger for economic opportunity and the well-being of a society can be an emotional journey for many communities. That powerful voyage of securing the right stability for a small, close-knit community is presented in the new documentary, ‘Cruise Boom.’

The movie will have its World Premiere on the PBS website, the PBS app and stations across the country starting on Saturday, September 14. In honor of the feature’s premiere on the public broadcaster, Film Factual is exclusive premiering the project’s poster.

‘Cruise Boom’ follows Sitka, a small Alaskan town, as it faces a record-breaking surge in cruise ship tourism. As the number of cruises that are visiting the area steadily increases, the community questions if the economic opportunity is a cause for celebration or a threat to the heart of the community. The documentary also provides key insight in broader discussions of globalization, boom and bust economies, community self-determination, and pushback on large-scale tourism.

Ellen Frankenstein directed ‘Cruise Boom’ alongside co-helmer Atman Mehta. “We ended up filming for over a year, creating a documentary where the town, not individuals, is the character, the protagonist,” said Frankenstein, a veteran documentarian.

Frankenstein is an independent director, producer and media artist.  Her helming credits include ‘Tracing Roots,’ ‘Eating Alaska,’ ‘No Loitering’ and ‘Carved from the Heart.’ She also created the series called ’14 Miles,’ which is made up of 37 short films set in one place. She also hosts a live storytelling series, available via podcast, called ‘Sitka Tell Tales.’

The filmmaker’s work has been supported by grants and awards, including a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship. She has also received grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Independent Television Service, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Alaska Humanities Forum, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Mehta, meanwhile, recently completed the movie ‘A Beautiful Place,’ which chronicles the members of an Alaskan village working to keep their community together in the face of changing times and climate challenges. He has also worked in videographic journalism, having covered stories ranging from election day and food deserts to gun violence. His primary interests are the climate crisis, and in media which helps build a more caring, self-aware world. The filmmaker is also a doctoral student in economic history at the University of Chicago.

For more information on ‘Cruise Boom,’ visit its Instagram account.