Portland’s Wastewater Workforce Takes Center Stage in Award-Winning Documentary

Portland, Maine — Portland’s wastewater team is taking the big screen in Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong, a powerful and unexpectedly funny new documentary filmed over two years inside the Portland Water District’s East End Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The film offers a rare, human look at the people who manage one of the city’s most essential services. Viewers follow operators as they navigate aging infrastructure, challenging working conditions, and the unseen but critical work required to keep Portland’s water clean and the environment protected.

The documentary premiered at the Camden International Film Festival to a standing ovation and has since earned multiple Audience Awards and Best New England Film honors. Local interest has been strong, and early festival screenings have sold out quickly.

Watch the Trailer

Upcoming Screenings

Portland Museum of Art

January 25th and March 5th

(Tickets available through PMA; screenings are expected to sell out) https://www.portlandmuseum.org/eventscalendar/

The Hill Arts, Munjoy Hill

February 12th | 7:00 p.m.

https://www.thehillarts.me/events/usgtwfilmscreening

New England Water Environment Association

Annual Conference 2026

January 25th | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Filmmakers Kaitlyn Schwalje and Alex Wolf Lewis, both Portland residents, will be in attendance, along with several PWD staff featured in the film. Media are invited to attend and will have opportunities for interviews and behind-the-scenes conversations about the people, infrastructure, and humor that keep this city running — often literally beneath our feet.