Facing War

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had almost completed his last term in June 2023. But during a visit to Washington, President Joe Biden persuades the Norwegian to serve for one more year. Russia is waging war against Ukraine and Stoltenberg has promised President Zelensky to stand at his country’s side for as long as necessary. However the NATO member states do not agree on what form that support should take, and Stoltenberg must search for a way to keep his promise. Director Tommy Gulliksen followed Stoltenberg over one and a half years. The camera is with him in the car as he makes his way to meet various heads of state, during strategy meetings on the train to Ukraine, while he’s making important phone calls at NATO headquarters, and when the groundwork for diplomacy is laid in the corridors of government buildings. The documentary gives audiences a unique and surprisingly open behind-the-scenes look at world politics at a critical historical moment.