THE GREAT EXPERIMENT

2026 | US, Mexico | 100 mins.

A kaleidoscopic portrait of American civil society, identity, and polarization, THE GREAT EXPERIMENT captures lives across the US over four years, from 2017 to 2021, reflecting on the nation George Washington once called "a last great experiment in democracy." Through moments both deeply intimate and nationally critical, the film becomes a cinematic meditation on American democracy, offering viewers a rare pause from political rhetoric and a chance for genuine reflection amid upheaval.

DIRECTED, EDITED + PRODUCED BY Stephen Maing, Eric Daniel Metzgar

PRODUCED BY Farihah Zaman

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Stephen Maing, Eric Daniel Metzgar

CINEMATOGRAPHERS Nathan Golon, Zac Manuel, Ray Whitehouse, Erik Ljung, Jason Outenreath, Amy Bench, Micah Garen

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY Anne Marie Stein, Richard MacMillan, Kirsten Johnson, Agnes Mentre, Lyda Kuth

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCE BY Rachel Traub & Jihan Robinson

MUSIC BY Meredith Monk, Live Footage, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Che Chen & Ka Baird

COLOR GRADEING Natacha Ikoli

DI/FINISHING Pierce Varous - Nice Dissolve

SOUND DESIGN & MIX Cesar Gonzales Jesus Arteaga

STORY PRODUCERS Maria Gambale, Jane Teeling

Film website + Upcoming Screenings

True/False Film Festival

CPH:DOX Film Festival - F:ACT Award Special Mention

Full Frame Film Festival

DC/DOX Film Festival