Europe’s democracies are under threat as authoritarian movements gain traction, wars disrupt Europe, and societies become ever more polarized. In light of this, Netzwerk Film & Demokratie — an alliance of over 40 associations and organizations in the German film industry — is hosting a panel discussion at the Munich International Film Festival for the fourth time. We believe that cinema is a medium in which democracy can be discussed, experienced, and defended. Two films, two takes on war in Europe: In THE ILLUSION OF A QUIET NIGHT, Olya Chernykh documents the war in Ukraine — through footage taken during a single night by forty filmmakers and hundreds of citizens — in a collective portrait of a country caught between fear and resilience. In ECHO OF TOMORROW’S WAR, Nicolas Ehret creates a fictional scenario of a war in Europe: a young man evades conscription in a Germany where far-right populist forces have come to power. The two filmmakers will join Ulrich Matthes, who has one of the lead roles in ECHO OF TOMORROW’S WAR, to discuss the responsibility filmmakers bear in the face of authoritarian trends — and the significance of telling stories of war: as a present-day experience or as a fictional portrayal of a possible future.