From filmmakers Ellen Frankenstein (Tracing Roots, Eating Alaska) and Atman Mehta, comes Cruise Boom, a documentary telling the story of a small Alaskan town as they face a new challenge of globalization as the cruise tourism industry rebounds after the COVID lockdown. The documentary film focuses on the effects of the changes from the eyes of the town locals.
Sitka, a small Alaskan town, faces a record-breaking surge in cruise ship tourism: is the economic opportunity a cause for celebration or a threat to the heart of the community?
Cruise Boom provides key insight in broader discussions of globalization, boom and bust economies, community self-determination, and pushback on large-scale tourism, the film provides an example of the delicate balance between the hunger for economic opportunity and the well-being of a community.
“We ended up filming for over a year, creating a documentary where the town, not individuals, is the character, the protagonist” said veteran documentarian Ellen Frankenstein.
‘Cruise Boom’ will have its world premiere on September 14, 2024 on PBS.org, the PBS app, and stations across the country.
Watch the trailer from ‘Cruise Boom’
Ellen Frankenstein is an independent director, producer and media artist. Frankenstein’s directing credits include Tracing Roots, Eating Alaska, No Loitering, and Carved from the Heart. She also created a series called 14 Miles, made up of 37 short films set in one place, hosts a live storytelling series, available via podcast, called Sitka Tell Tales. Ellen’s work has been supported by grants and awards, including a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship and 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.
Co-Director Atman Mehta recently completed a film called “A Beautiful Place,” about an Alaskan village working to keep their community together in the face of changing times and climate challenges. He cut his documentarian teeth 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. Atman is a doctoral student in economic history at the University of Chicago.
Watch an exclusive clip from ‘Cruise Boom’