T here’s an inherent farce to the U.S. government, or so Hailey Gates suggests in her debut feature film, Atropia. Based on her 2019 short film Shako Mako, Gates expands her exp

"Atropia," a satire of the Iraq War and military contractors' efforts to prepare soldiers to fight overseas, was one of the big winners at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival's awards ceremony.

Hailey Gates turned her Miu Miu "Women's Tales" short film into a Sundance feature, starring Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner.

“Atropia” is a masterfully dark satire because of how loud its subtleties are whilst remaining laugh-out-loud hilarious. With its stunning direction and acting, this relevant and innovative venture is sure to make its mark within the wider canon of American war films.

Hailey Gates’ “Atropia” and Brittany Shyne’s “Seeds” claimed the top jury awards at Sundance, along with audience favorites "Twinless,” “DJ Ahmet” and “Prime Minister.”

Atropia': How Callum Turner & Alia Shawkat Found A Soul Connection In Hailey Gates' War Satire - Sundance Studio

Like many of the independent films that premiered at this muted edition of Sundance, “Atropia” has not yet sold to a distributor.

The war satire “Atropia” about actors in a military role-playing facility won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O’Brien movie “Twinless” got the coveted audience award.

Set in a fake town, Hailey Gates’ feature debut 'Atropia,' premiering at Sundance, has fun, insightful ideas, though it seldom expands on them.

A documentary deconstructs the true crime genre, an obsessive worms his way into a pop star's entourage, and more standouts from Sundance 2025.

Sundance: Directed by "Challengers" actress Hailey Gates, "Atropia" gives the War on Terror it's own take on "The Truman Show."

An aspiring actress in an army role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier in Hailey Gates' feature debut, which also stars Callum Turner and Chloë Sevigny.