Flyout Menu
Main Menu

War Game

Directors

Jesse Moss, Tony Gerber

Executive Producers

Warren Littlefield, Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz, Eric Schmeltzer, David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg, Jay Peterson, Seth Brodie, David Levine

Producers

Todd Lubin, Jesse Moss, Jack Turner, Mark DiCristofaro, Jessica Grimshaw, Nick Shumaker

Editor

Jeff Gilbert

Consulting Editor

Co-Editor

Assistant Editor

Cinematographers

Thorsten Thielow, Wolfgang Held, Daniel Carter, Tim Grucza, Brett Wiley, Keri Oberly

Additional Cinematography

Music

Sound

Narration

Contact

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.

With the grip of a thriller, War Game posits active-duty military breaking ranks to join an insurrection that soon spreads to other state capitals, yielding a chilling moment when it’s unclear whether the president fully commands the armed forces. 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 last resort). 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.

Portraying a fictional President of the United States and his advisors, they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the US military in the wake of a contested 2024 presidential election. Like actors in a thriller, but with profound real-world stakes, the players have only six hours to save American democracy.

Post-screening discussion moderated by prominent American Journalist, Author, and Host Kara Swisher. Kara is a contributing Editor at New York Magazine and host/co-host of hit podcasts “On with Kara Swisher” and “Pivot.” Kara was co-founder of “Recode” and previously co-produced and hosted the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital Conference. The discussion will be live-recorded for an episode of her podcast “On with Kara Swisher.” Following the discussion, there will be a book signing for Kara’s New York Times best-seller “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.”

Post-screening participants include co-directors Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber and film participants Governor Steve Bullock, Janessa Goldbeck, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, Chris Jones, Elizabeth Newumann, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Linda Singh, and Lt. Col. (ret.) Alexander Vindman.

wXFiAfxoG8_Su_3Q2bw2HkWEbbp4oGrp7vaXfItCBEM

Jesse Moss

Co-Director, Middletown

Jesse Moss’ directing work includes Girls State and Boys State (winner, 2020 Sundance Grand Jury Prize), both with Amanda McBaine, War Game (with Tony Gerber), The Overnighters (winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize), The Mission, and Mayor Pete. He won Primetime Emmy® Awards for Girls State (Directing) and Boys State (Outstanding Documentary). He has twice been nominated by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for his work, and twice shortlisted for the Academy Award for Feature Documentary.

pk8y7YS5_2-TLLpDVZV2DFMjN52Yve8b8HQFtJceYxQ

Tony Gerber

Co-director, War Game

Tony Gerber is an Emmy and PGA award-winning writer, producer, and director. He has written and directed over a dozen documentaries for National Geographic, filmed in some of the world’s most remote and dangerous regions. In 2018 Gerber wrote, directed, and produced Kingdom of the White Wolf, a 3-part series (for Disney+) filmed in the High Arctic. His other directing credits include Full Battle Rattle, with Jesse Moss (Berlinale premiere and SXSW Special Jury Prize), The Notorious Mr. Bout about the Russian arms dealer (Sundance 2014), and CNN Films’ We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World (Television Academy Honors, CINE Golden Eagle). Gerber has collaborated with artists Matthew Barney, Allora & Calzadilla, Blane De St Croix, and Ann-Sofi Sidén on various film and installation projects. He recently produced the Emmy-nominated, Oscar-shortlisted short documentary Takeover (Tribeca, 2021) about a group of Puerto Rican activists, the Young Lords, who take over a decrepit hospital in the South Bronx. This award-winning documentary will be adapted into a feature film for the independent studio, Sister, produced by Gerber and adapted by Oscar-nominated screenwriter José Rivera. In 2005, he co-founded the New York-based production company Market Road Films with two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. He has been a board member of UnionDocs since 2020.

BACK TO FILMS