Cruise tourism has rebounded since its COVID downturn, and Alaskan cruises are at an all time high. Visitors are excited to see whales, eagles, bears and the majestic landscapes of this northern state. But what does the arrival of a cruise ship look like from the other side, from the towns that are flooded with visitors?

The film explores the complexities of growth and change in Sitka, Alaska, home to the Lingít Aaní (Tlingit). It’s a town surrounded by mountains and ocean, with a large mom and pop fishing fleet and a pulp mill that shut down years ago. Cruise Boom is about a place confronted with a situation it did not plan for working together to make it work, provoking questions about how a community guides its future, how much tourism is enough and who benefits from the industry.