An unprecedented look at the final year of Barack Obama's presidency and his foreign policy team as they set out to define their legacy, promote diplomacy and react to the unexpected rise of Donald Trump. 

During 2016, filmmaker Greg Barker was granted access inside the White House, the State Department, and the machinery of American power. This insiders’ account features key members of Obama’s foreign policy team including Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and speechwriter Ben Rhodes.

From historic visits to Ho Chi Minh City, Hiroshima, and Havana to negotiating at the UN for a Syrian ceasefire, THE FINAL YEAR captures the real-life drama, intensity and humanity behind Obama's team of foreign policymakers. The creative team behind Oscar-winning documentary SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN and LIFE ANIMATED takes an entertainment genre familiar to audiences of popular political shows such as The West Wing or The Good Wife and offers a rare glimpse into this world that has been fictionalized on screen so many times.  

As we approach the one year anniversary of the inauguration of Donald Trump, there has never been a more relevant time to reflect back on the people who occupied the White House before him. 

THE FINAL YEAR is the third film in our 2017-18 Doc Soup Series co-presented with Hot Docs.