The United We Stand project imagines a non-existent Hollywood-style European blockbuster film, marketed as “a brilliant mix of espionage and sci-fi political stereotypes in which Europe, not the USA, saves the world from impending doom.” Through posters, a fabricated website, and a fictional backstory, the project presented a fictional movie to audiences worldwide. The promotional campaign included glossy posters like the one shown here, featuring an ensemble cast of supposed stars such as Penelope Cruz and Ewan McGregor, alongside dramatic imagery of explosions, fleets of ships, fighter jets, and the European Union flag. The tagline boldly proclaims: “Europe has a mission.”
While visually indistinguishable from actual Hollywood movie promotions, United We Stand is pure fiction—an artwork by Eva and Franco Mattes, created in collaboration with the Italian collective Wu Ming. The narrative positions Europe, rather than the United States, as the savior of the world, appropriating and subverting the aesthetics of American war propaganda.
The artists deliberately appropriate Hollywood’s visual language to critique its formulaic depictions of war and global heroism. The poster design, complete with recognizable “stars” and blockbuster-style typography, mimics the tropes of cinematic propaganda. By doing so, the project highlights how film posters can construct and reinforce political ideologies. In this case, the narrative flips the script: Europe assumes the role traditionally reserved for the United States. This subtle inversion challenges audiences to question their assumptions about geopolitical dominance and cultural narratives.
The imagery on the poster—particularly the EU flag and the war-like scenarios—reinterprets Europe’s image in global politics. Instead of the bureaucratic and pacifist role often associated with the EU, the film depicts a militarized Europe engaged in saving the world. The phrase “Europe has a mission” subverts the militarized rhetoric often associated with the U.S., posing a counterfactual scenario where Europe becomes a dominant global force.
Through its appropriation of Hollywood propaganda, United We Stand subverts the very tools used to craft cultural and political myths. The project functions as a critique of how war narratives are commodified and consumed, with the poster campaign serving as a mirror to the ways advertising generates belief in fabricated stories. The fictional film, existing only through its marketing, mirrors how real films—especially in the war genre—often blur the lines between entertainment, propaganda, and historical revisionism.
The presence of well-known actors like Penelope Cruz and Ewan McGregor adds another layer of complexity. The casting feels plausible, drawing viewers into the deception. Yet this very plausibility underscores the absurdity of Hollywood’s capacity to market war as entertainment. The project challenges audiences to consider how media, even when fabricated, can shape perceptions of reality and history.
The artists’ use of counterfactual practices critiques not only Hollywood but also the broader cultural mechanisms that allow fiction to pass as fact. The poster campaign itself is a powerful commentary on how visual media can manipulate collective memory. By saturating urban spaces with promotional materials for a film that doesn’t exist, United We Stand creates a cognitive dissonance that forces viewers to question the narratives they consume.
