NATO representatives are holding closed-door meetings with directors, screenwriters, and producers, prompting accusations that the alliance is trying to use the film and television industry for propaganda purposes, The Guardian reports, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, such meetings have already taken place in Brussels, Los Angeles, and Paris, while another is scheduled for next month—with members of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB).
As The Guardian notes, the initiative is being co-ordinated through NATO’s public diplomacy division and is aimed at establishing ties with figures from the entertainment industry. Participants in the meetings are invited to discuss possible formats for co-operation and consultation in the making of films and television series dealing with security, international conflict, and the alliance’s role.
Letters sent to invitees refer to “three projects” already in development—apparently potential film or television works connected to NATO-related themes.
The initiative has provoked sharp criticism among some of those invited. In Britain, several participants in the discussion described the forthcoming meeting as “outrageous” and “blatant propaganda”.
Screenwriter Alan O’Gorman, whose film Christy won best film at the 2026 Irish Film and Television Awards, said he regarded the initiative as unacceptable. “I thought it was inappropriate and absurd to present this as some kind of positive opportunity. Many people, myself included, have friends and relatives from countries outside NATO who have suffered because of wars NATO entered into and helped inflame,” The Guardian quotes him as saying.
At the same time, according to the newspaper, NATO representatives reject accusations that they are trying to create propaganda and insist that the effort is about dialogue with the industry and increasing awareness of the alliance’s activities, rather than exerting direct influence over the content of future projects.