Some based on real events, these films give us some lessons on what we should take into account when managing a crisis: diagnosis of the political, economic, and social context; a strategy with a clear objective; and lots of creativity to solve problems.

Wag The Dog, Barry Levinson, 1997

The power of the media on public opinion, promoted by the Presidency.

In the middle of the reelection campaign, the political opponents of the US president spread a sexual abuse scandal against a minor. Political consultant Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) hires film producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to implement the strategy of raising a smokescreen to avoid the scandal: invent a war, just like Hollywood.

All the President’s Men, Alan J. Pakula, 1974

The Watergate Case is the most representative investigation of American journalism. It gives us lessons on everything that a government or its president should not do to silence the media.

Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) are The Washington Post journalists who revealed illegal recordings to the Democratic Party, with the help of their mysterious informant “Deep Throat”, forcing President Nixon to resign.

Primary Colors, Mike Nichols, 1998

Crisis in a campaign? All electoral campaigns have theirs, knowing how to handle it can mean the victory of the candidate or his public and political collapse.

In the middle of the US presidency campaign, a sex scandal impacts candidate Jack Stanton (John Travolta), forcing his team to undertake damage control actions, including having the support of his wife (Emma Thompson ). Any resemblance with reality is mere coincidence…

Thank you for smoking, Jason Reitman, 2006

Lessons on the importance of building a credible, coherent, and forceful narrative to influence key audiences.

Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), is the spokesman for the tobacco industry, who is in charge of lobbying to refute scientific studies that link tobacco use to lung cancer.

Our Brand is Crisis, David Gordon Green, 2015

Political marketing is undoubtedly a great tool to win elections, as long as you have the right diagnosis and strategy, because not all political crises, or the countries´ idiosyncrasies, are the same.

Bolivian candidate Pedro Castillo hires political consultant Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock), to win the presidential elections. She embarks on a smear campaign strategy against the opposition, but at the same time faces her fierce professional rival Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), an opposition adviser.

Erin Brockovich, Steven Soderbergh, 2000

As the saying goes, “there´s no small enemy”.. Crises can arise from any seemingly inconsequential event or “insignificant” person.

The true story of environmental activist Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) who won a pollution lawsuit victory against the “powerful” Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

The Post, Steven Spielberg, 2017

The importance of making decisions, between submitting to political power or asserting the real meaning of journalism and attending to the principle that every citizen has the right to know the information about what his government does.

The story behind the publication in The Washington Post and The New York Times of the Pentagon documents about the presence of the US Army in the Vietnam War and how the government systematically lied about the supposed progress of the troops in that country. 

Bombshell, Jay Roach, 2019

Sometimes the media are the protagonists of crises. Fox News still cannot overcome the bad image it has among liberals, and not only because of its ideological positions …

A film based on the confessions of female executives and anchors of this television network, who publicly exposed CEO Roger Alies for sexual harassment.

The Insider, Michael Mann, 1999

Without the support of the media, no story can be told and have an impact on public opinion.

Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), a senior executive at an American tobacco company, is fired from his job facing the moral dilemma of respecting the confidentiality clauses of his contract termination or confessing to public opinion, with the help of the 60 Minutes journalist ( Al Pacino), the true risks of tobacco consume.

Argo, Ben Affleck, 2012

All crises require diagnosis, strategy, a lot of creativity, and broad knowledge of the political, economic, and social context.

The true story of the participation of CIA agent Tony Méndez (Ben Affleck) in the historic rescue of six US diplomats during the first months of the hostage crisis in Iran, using the excuse of a film shooting.