At the same time that the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, assured Ukraine at the latest EU-Ukraine Association Council that its future lies in the EU, political stakeholders from across the Brussels institutions gathered for a special screening of “Facing War”, the behind-the-scenes documentary of former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s battle for Ukraine.
The screening set the stage for an informative dialogue on Europe’s role in the Ukraine peace negotiations, and the crucial importance of strengthening democratic alliances and leadership. “Facing War” follows former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in his last two years in office, bringing audiences unique access to the closed-door world of top-level diplomacy. As Putin’s war in Ukraine rages on and authoritarian forces unite, the film follows Stoltenberg’s efforts to pull the alliance together, and keep his word to President Zelensky that NATO will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Attentive interest from the 500+ attendees to the “Facing War” screening, and comments made by the political hosts and speakers, attests to the film’s timeliness and urgency. It speaks into a climate where Poland is planning to train every adult male for war, Norway is restoring old military bunkers, Germany is unlocking billions for a historic boost to defence spending, and French citizens are being urged to prepare survival kits.
H.E. Jørn Gloslie, Ambassador of Norway to the Kingdom of Belgium, said : “I hope that this documentary will make our common will to stand for Ukraine even stronger”.
H.E. David Konecký, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to NATO, said : “This film has shown that individuals can make historic change; all of us are capable of it.”
Maksym Butkevych, a Ukrainian human rights defender and former Russian prisoner of war, reminded audiences of Russia’s imperialist ambitions, and how in this war Ukrainians are protecting all Europeans. He shared his views from the frontline on how Europe needs to lead a peace negotiation for the sake of Ukrainian citizens: “Ukraine needs proper security guarantees, otherwise a ceasefire is just a pause for Russia to regroup, attract more resources, to draw in more authoritarian regimes and relaunch its attack on a larger scale.”
Tommy Gulliksen, the director of “Facing War,” emphasised that “at this time in history we need to demand more from our leaders”. He added that the film shows how Jens Stoltenberg was involved in a delicate balancing act as a leader between promoting dialogue and not being naive in the face of aggressor states, and said, “I want audiences to acknowledge that leaders are human beings even if we often don’t trust or hate them”.
The special screening of “Facing War” was hosted by One World Film Festival in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy, Czech Permanent Representation to NATO, Think-Film Impact Production and Dox Division.
“Facing War” recently had its world premiere as the first-ever non-Danish opening night film at the prestigious CPH:DOX Film Festival in Copenhagen, in the presence of Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Fredriksen, and won an Academy Awards-qualifying Grand Jury prize in the Movies That Matter Festival in The Hague.
