What began 1989 as a tiny street parade in Berlin has long since grown into a million-strong spectacle garnering international attention. In 2010, the “Love Parade” left Berlin for a tour of the Ruhr valley, German’s former industrial stronghold, a region weak in infrastructure and youth appeal. Hundreds of thousands of electronic music lovers took pilgrimage to Duisburg to celebrate, but the day tragically ended in a fatal stampede. What went wrong?

The location of the parade was a former freight yard and the only entrance and exit to the venue was a narrow ramp. There, the crowd squeezed. 21 attendees died and 652 more were injured and traumatized. The Trial reveals the corporate greed and public negligence at the expense of young people from around the world gathering for a music festival. With unprecedented access, the film unravels the worst disaster in counter-culture history.