War Game: Film Screening & Conversation

War Game sweeps audiences into an elaborate future-set simulation that dramatically escalates the threat posed by the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The film follows a bipartisan group of US defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations as they participate in an unscripted role-play exercise. The screening will be followed by a conversation featuring Former Governor Steve Bullock, Javed Ali (Ford School), Morela Hernandez (Ford School), and Cliff Lampe (School of Information) that will be moderated by Zoe Clark (Michigan Public).

Like actors in a thriller, but with profound real-world stakes, the players have only six hours to save American democracy. The simulation’s outcome hinges on several inflection points, from the government’s capacity to counter the disinformation that’s effectively spread by the insurgent side to the potential invocation of the Insurrection Act (i.e., the “nuclear option”). While the exercise served to stress test our institutions, the film is a critical wake-up call, underscoring the urgent need for bipartisanship in safeguarding American democracy.

The film screening and conversation are sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan Museum of Art, and the Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment and Global Engagement.