In 2012, members of a motley crew of undocumented youth activists known as DREAMers willingly handed themselves over to the Florida Border Patrol. While locked up inside the crowded for-profit Broward Transitional Center, they would attempt to hatch their plan: free the detainees — and themselves — before being deported. Conspiring with their cohorts on the outside including gay DREAMer activist Mohammad Abdollahi, Marco (Maynor Alvarado) and Viri (Chelsea Rendon) find themselves in over their heads, fighting against the clock and striving to maintain anonymity within the lockup until their mission is complete.

Unfolding with all the pulse-pounding suspense of a heist caper, filmmakers Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer) have crafted a vital account of a damaged and devious system, told by the real-life protesters who risked everything for the cause. Seamlessly and unforgettably blending documentary footage with scripted dramatizations filmed inside the detention center, Ibarra and Rivera’s bold and convention-busting nail-biter — which garnered standing ovations and multiple prizes at Sundance this year — pays tribute to a small band of truly heroic individuals.