Collective

In the documentary film Collective, director Alexander Nanau takes us deep inside a real-life political thriller. In the aftermath of a deadly nightclub fire in Bucharest, Romania, the survivors suffering from non-life threatening burn injuries mysteriously begin dying. Journalists from the daily Gazeta Sporturilor (“Sports Gazette”) newspaper probe into why, and their enterprising investigation, supported by key whistleblowers, is captured by Nanau’s intimate and breathtaking cinema vérité film. What unfolds is a staggering exposure of official corruption that reaches from the highest levels of government and infects the entire health care system. It’s a level of corruption that crushes even the reformed-minded government officials who challenge it. For showcasing the vital importance of independent journalism as a cornerstone of democracy, Collective earns a Peabody Award.