First trailer for The Great Experiment sets October cinema openings
The first trailer for The Great Experiment arrived on 23 September, giving audiences a full look at the black-and-white documentary before its October cinema run, according to Deadline.
The film is directed by Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar and produced by Farihah Zaman alongside the two directors. It was shot in black and white across the United States over five years, from 2017 to 2021.
It follows that four-year stretch of American life. The story ends with the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the inauguration of President Biden. The title comes from George Washington, who described America's democratic system as "our last great experiment."
The release starts in New York. The film opens at the IFC Center on 16 October for a week-long engagement. It then opens in Los Angeles at Laemmle Glendale from 23 October.
The documentary began its public life in March with its world premiere, meaning its first-ever screening, at True/False in Columbia, Missouri. From there it travelled to CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, where it received a Special Mention in competition, according to Deadline. It was also selected for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2026 lineup, and is now set to screen at the Woodstock Film Festival and the Montclair Film Festival.
The film has been described as a chronicle of Trump's first term, the headline used by Variety for its review in April.
What makes this stand out for cinema-goers is the method. Five years of filming have been cut into a single feature with no present-day interviews to guide it, so the period unfolds as it was recorded street by street and year by year.
