Hailey Gates’ satire film Atropia starring Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sevigny, Jane Levy, Tim Heidecker, Lola Kirke, Zahra Alzubaidi, Chloe East, Jamie McShane and Tony Shawkat has been acquired by Vertical for release in the US.
The film made its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for dramatic features. It is set for release in theaters this December, 2025.
Here is the story: When an aspiring actress (Shawkat) in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier (Turner) cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance. Welcome to Atropia: an invented land just close enough to Los Angeles for Hollywood set builders to create the fake villages, but far enough away that the performers who live on-site are not exactly flourishing in their acting careers.
Inspired by real military training camps in the California desert, Gates originally conceived the project as a documentary but was encouraged to write the screenplay after a conversation with her Challengers director Luca Guadagnino, who eventually came on board as a producer. Recently, Grammy-winning creative director Imogene Strauss joined the marketing campaign to help bring Atropia into the real world.
Gates commented on the acquisition and release saying, “I’m absolutely chomping at the bit for people to see this movie! I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s found a home with Vertical, a company that wants to take bold, creative swings when it comes to releasing independent films. I’m so excited that audiences will get the chance to experience it on the big screen.”
“Hailey has created an impressive film debut featuring a fantastic cast led by Alia and Callum. Atropia is a unique story set in a rarely seen world from an exciting new filmmaker. Vertical is thrilled to be releasing this biting satire later this year,” added Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey.
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