Don’t Be So Political is a monthly film series that engages with films through a political lens. Each screening is preceded by an expert Q&A. Hosted by Zach Wortzman
“Let’s play Global Thermonuclear War.”
A tech savvy high schooler accidentally hacks into a military supercomputer sending the world to the brink of World War Three.
At the height of the Cold War, in the middle of Reagan’s presidency, WarGames released and introduced the world to a new threat: the vulnerabilities, both human and technological, of the nuclear program. Credited as the first film to popularize computer hacking, WarGames explores the consequences of trusting technology above humanity, the moral repercussions of automation, and the effectiveness of Mutually Assured Destruction.
The film preceded a 1983 false early warning which nearly led the Soviets to launch retaliatory nuclear strikes at the US. And a later event, also in 1983, the Able Archer exercise, a war simulation which the Soviets also perceived as an impending nuclear strike, nearly ended in nuclear war as well. President Reagan, a friend of one of the screenwriters (Lasker), upon seeing the film revamped America’s nuclear and cyber security.
WarGames was nominated for three Academy Awards, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay. (ZACH WORTZMAN)
You may also like the following events from Revue Cinema:
Also check out other
Entertainment events in Toronto,
Business events in Toronto,
Festivals in Toronto.
