In 2007, Dallas-based startup Kosmos discovered the first commercial oil field in the Republic of Ghana. The field – and its wealth-making potential – was massive. It was named Jubilee Field.

In Big Men, director Rachel Boynton follows the drama as it unfolds: Kosmos opens its doors to her, and she is given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access into the oil business. It isn’t long before the high spirits die down and are replaced with political intrigue and accusations of dishonesty. Meanwhile, the filmmakers also journey down the coast to Nigeria to find violent resistance, crime, and corruption. The oil story here is decades old: between siphoning of oil by corrupt Nigerian politicians, sabotage by local militants, environmental degradation, and lawlessness, Nigeria is “the poster child for oil-cursed African nations.” These warnings clearly go unheeded in Ghana.

Big Men was filmed over the course of five years, a harrowing window into the oil business in under-developed countries. We’re thrilled that the film, an official selection of the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, premieres tonight on PBS.

“Ultimately, Big Men is a movie about that world and about the system in which we all live,” Rachel Boynton says. “Personal profit is the great motivator. We all want to become bigger than we are, to make more money and to achieve greater renown. And everyone is concerned with looking after his own people – his own family, friends, tribe, company, shareholders. The major difference is in who each of us considers ‘his own’ to be.

Big Men premieres on PBS tonight at 10pm, and will be available to view online from August 26 to September 24, 2014.