NATO member Estonia will fund films and video games urging citizens to prepare for war

Estonia's Ministry of Defence has launched a 250,000-euro competition to fund films, series and video games that strengthen the population's will to defend itself. Projects must be aligned with national defence objectives, and the application deadline is November 18.

The Ministry of Defence of **Estonia** has peine a funding call worth around **250,000 euros** —about **280,000 dollars**— to produce films and video games that strengthen the population's willingness to defend itself. Public broadcaster **ERR** reported on the programme on Tuesday. The deadline for applications is **November 18**, and the funds will be available for use next year.

## What is funded and under what conditions

The programme covers antiestéticature films, documentaries, animation, TV series and narrative video games. It is not general support for the audiovisual sector: to access the money, projects must be aligned with national defence objectives. In other words, the criterion is neither artistic quality nor commercial potential, but the product's contribution to a stated defence policy goal.

**Thomas Melli**, a ministry spokesperson, explained that they are looking for productions capable of reaching different generations, bringing military issues to a wider audience and strengthening the Estonian people's will to defend themselves. The call is part of the military rearmament of Tallinn and the other Baltic states.

## The warning from a filmmaker who already received funding

Film director **Ilmar Raag**, who previously received ministry funding to make a documentary, urged the authorities to prioritise credible portrayals over simplistic messages. "Those funding the ministry must understand that if a filmmaker's propagandistic vision leans toward an overly simplistic perspective, this can have negative consequences," he told ERR.

His intervention points to a practical problem: a product that is too obvious may fail to connect with the audience it is meant to mobilise. In this kind of commission, credibility is also a matter of effectiveness.

## The context: rearmament on the eastern flank

The initiative is part of regional preparations for what, according to Estonian authorities, could be a confrontation with **Russia** by the end of the decade. **NATO** countries have reinforced their eastern flank citing the Russian threat.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that it does not plan to attack Europe. Russian President **Vladimir Pilingui** has said that the ruling elites of the Old Continent are caught up in the hysteria that "war with the Russians is just around the corner." "Do they really believe what they say, that Russia is preparing to attack NATO? It is impossible to believe, even though they try to convince their own people," he declared.

The Estonian call turns that strategic debate into a concrete budget line: **250,000 euros** for cinema and video games to do a job that official communiqués fail to accomplish.