Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong

As America’s aging wastewater system begins to fail, one plant does all it can to stay afloat. Plant manager Dustin Price, together with his dedicated team, battle aging infrastructure, “forever chemicals” and the misconceptions of an odor averse public to keep Portland, Maine clean and healthy.

Interweaving personal stories, urgent structural problems, and a look into the sophisticated system for keeping our poop out of the streets, this film shows how a ragtag group of engineers, mechanics and scientists affect the health of their community and ecosystem. It’s about the thankless pursuit of making a better world and the gaping divide between the clean world we want to live in and the complicated reality of making that happen.

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KAITLYN SCHWALJE is a science journalist and award winning documentary director based in Portland, Maine. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University and completed her postgraduate studies at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. Before pivoting to storytelling, Kaitlyn designed haptic prototypes for the research division of the Walt Disney Company. Her stories about her disaster obsessed father, tsunamis, how archeology saved the cat, and city squirrels appear in CBC, Atlas Obscura, WNYC, 99% Invisible, National Geographic, and others. Director Credits include Snowy (Sundance ‘21, Critics Choice nominee, DOCNYC Shortlist).

ALEX WOLF LEWIS is a director and DP based in New York City and Portland, Maine. As a director, credits include, SNOWY (Sundance ‘21, Critics’ Choice Nominee, DOCNYC Shortlist, Vimeo Staff Pick, Time Studios), SINGLE ROOM OCCUPANCY (co-directed) (SIFF 2016, Big Sky ‘17, Short of The Week) and HILDEGARDE'S PIANO (Rooftop Film Festival ‘19). As a DP, he has traveled the world for work, shooting for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Vice, Netflix, HBO, CNN, PBS, A&E, Discovery as well as a number of feature documentaries and shorts. He recently contributed to Academy Award Winner Laura Poitras’ ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (World Premiere Venice Film Festival ‘22, TIFF ‘22, NYFF ‘22). DP Credits include: UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA, (CNN) WELL GROOMED (HBO Sports, SXSW 2019, Hot Docs ‘19), narrative feature, SWALLOWED, dir. Carter Smith, (Overlook ‘22, Fantasia ‘22) and 2nd Unit DP on the narrative feature CRITICAL THINKING, dir. John Leguizamo, (SXSW ‘20). When not making films, he volunteers as an EMT for the town of Falmouth, Maine.

REBECCA STERN is a documentary producer and director living in Los Angeles, CA. She directed, produced and wrote the documentary WELL GROOMED (SXSW ’19, Hot Docs ‘19, HBO Sports). Additional producing credits include DEAR SANTA (ABC/HULU ‘23, ‘21), DEERFOOT OF THE DIAMOND (Camden ‘23), BATTLEGROUND (Starz, Tribeca ‘22), SNOWY (Sundance ‘21), TRE MAISON DASAN (Independent Lens ‘19), NETIZENS (Tribeca ‘18, HBO Max), and THE BOMB (Tribeca ‘16, Netflix). She recently directed and produced for AMC+/Sundance TV’s new documentary series SMUGSHOT, and directed an episode of HBO and Vox's Level Playing Field. In the past, she has directed and produced short films appearing on The Atlantic and in The New Yorker, and works extensively in producing and directing commercials for large, international brands. Rebecca is a 2023 DOCNYC 40 Under 40 honoree, a 2019 Impact Partners Fellow, a pga-accredited producer and a Documentary Producers Alliance board member.

JUSTIN LEVY is a filmmaker working primarily in documentary film. His recent credits as producer include the new AMC+/Sundance TV documentary series SMUGSHOT, SNOWY (Sundance, TIME, Critic’s Choice Award nominee), and WELL GROOMED (SXSW, HBO). He is the associate producer of 2018 Academy Award best short documentary nominee KNIFE SKILLS. His work as line producer includes ALOK (Sundance), LINDA PERRY: LET IT DIE HERE and BROADWAY RISING (Tribeca) and the documentary series DEAR SANTA (ABC/HULU). He has directed short documentaries released by The New Yorker and Vice. He was a 2022 Impact Partners Documentary Producer Fellow and is a Southern California Regional Representative of the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA). Prior to working in film, he worked as a public radio producer at NPR stations for 6 years.