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

It isn’t the greatest satire ever made, but Gates’ feature is like a one-stop shop for mockery and education with some fun in between.

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.

"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.

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.

In writer-director Hailey Gates' directorial debut 'Atropia', she dives into the Bush-era culture of toxic masculinity, nationalism and Islamophobia.

Sundance: See the full list of competition and Audience winners out of the 2025 festival, running through February 2.

Awards for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival were handed out on Friday morning, with the Dylan O'Brien-fronted dark comedy "Twinless" taking home the audience award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category.

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

Jon Hamm has done plenty of voice acting over his career, but voicing 1950s FBI agent-turned-private investigator Jack Bergin has proven unique.

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