# Atropia (fictional country)
**Atropia** is a fictional country used as a training scenario by the [United States Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-army), first developed in 2012 by the US Army's training command.[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/09/north-koreas-bitcoin-and-kenyas-new-railway-the-week-in-global-affairs-writing/539841/) The name has been used for a complex of 12 mock villages built at the [Fort Irwin National Training Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/fort-irwin-national-training-center) in California's Mojave Desert, where soldiers rehearse operations such as ambush responses before real deployments.[11](http://theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/15/weve-got-drone-swarms-dirty-bombs-radar-jamming-the-fake-town-where-america-practises-for-war) It also gives its name to the 2025 satirical film *Atropia*, written and directed by Hailey Gates, which is set in one of the training facilities and won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2025 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival).[9](https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sundance-comedy-atropia-hailey-gates-debut-1236285479/) • [1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/release-rundown-what-to-watch-in-december-from-atropia-to-endless-cookie/)
The setting serves as the environment for large-scale immersive exercises in which soldiers train in mock towns before real deployments, and it gives its name to the 2025 satirical film *Atropia*, which is set in one of the training facilities.[9](https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sundance-comedy-atropia-hailey-gates-debut-1236285479/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created | First developed in 2012 by the US Army's training command[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/09/north-koreas-bitcoin-and-kenyas-new-railway-the-week-in-global-affairs-writing/539841/) |
| Film | *Atropia* (2025), written and directed by Hailey Gates, won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/release-rundown-what-to-watch-in-december-from-atropia-to-endless-cookie/) |
## The training scenario
Atropia was first developed in 2012 by the US Army's training command.[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/09/north-koreas-bitcoin-and-kenyas-new-railway-the-week-in-global-affairs-writing/539841/)
**Training sites.** The name "Atropia" has been used for a complex of 12 mock villages built at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California's Mojave Desert.[11](http://theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/15/weve-got-drone-swarms-dirty-bombs-radar-jamming-the-fake-town-where-america-practises-for-war) At a military training program described in an academic case study, nursing students are "deployed" to Atropia as part of the scenario used by many military units.[2](https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-pdf/186/11-12/e1066/41067388/usaa432.pdf) In the simulated towns, which are designed by Hollywood artists and brought to life by role players, soldiers rehearse operations such as ambush responses before deploying to the real theater.[3](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=B_a2yyLwbW0.P) • [4](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/02/03/atropia-asi-es-la-ganadora-de-sundance-una-critica-a-la-guerra-de-irak-con-humor-y-romance-cadena-ser/)
## Use in the film *Atropia*
The film follows Fayruz ([Alia Shawkat](https://www.edgepedia.org/alia-shawkat)), the star thespian of Atropia, an aspiring actress of Iraqi descent who works in a military role-playing facility outside Los Angeles while waiting for a Hollywood break, and Abu Dice ([Callum Turner](https://www.edgepedia.org/callum-turner)), an experienced soldier cast as an insurgent; their romance threatens both characters' ambitions and their allegiance to the military and Atropia's purpose.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atropia) The story is set on the eve of Bush's "surge", described in the synopsis as the bloodiest year of the war.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atropia) Gates has described the film as "a military industrial complex romantic comedy".[6](https://apnews.com/article/df054ddf56f1e08dbe596c53da1971de)
The project began as a documentary. Gates researched military war-game facilities across the United States for four years and initially wanted to make a documentary about the fake Iraqi villages built on US military bases after 9/11; she has said "the military was not so keen on the version of the doc that I wanted to make", and she turned the idea into fiction instead.[4](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/02/03/atropia-asi-es-la-ganadora-de-sundance-una-critica-a-la-guerra-de-irak-con-humor-y-romance-cadena-ser/) • [7](https://www.thewrap.com/atropia-director-military-documentary-to-satire/) At the Fort Irwin setting, actors speak Arabic and simulate possible ambushes, and the film satirizes how the enemy is dehumanized and violence banalized in such training.[4](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/02/03/atropia-asi-es-la-ganadora-de-sundance-una-critica-a-la-guerra-de-irak-con-humor-y-romance-cadena-ser/)
The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic.[1](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/release-rundown-what-to-watch-in-december-from-atropia-to-endless-cookie/) It was produced by [Luca Guadagnino](https://www.edgepedia.org/luca-guadagnino), Naima Abed, Emilie Georges, Lana Kim, and Jett Steiger, and distributed by Vertical, opening in limited theaters on December 12, 2025 and on streaming on February 27, 2026.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atropia) Critical response was mixed: the film holds 41% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 61 reviews, 5.6/10 on IMDb, and a Metascore of 53.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atropia) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31122579) Its limited theatrical run was small, grossing $64,144 in the United States and Canada, with an opening weekend of $9,052.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31122579)
## References
1. [Release Rundown: What to Watch in December, From "Atropia" to "Endless Cookie", Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/release-rundown-what-to-watch-in-december-from-atropia-to-endless-cookie/)
2. [Nursing program students are "deployed" to a fictional country called "Atropia", Military Medicine (academic.oup.com)](https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-pdf/186/11-12/e1066/41067388/usaa432.pdf)
3. [Atropia, Google Play Movies](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=B_a2yyLwbW0.P)
4. ['Atropia', así es la ganadora de Sundance, una crítica a la guerra de Irak con humor y romance, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/02/03/atropia-asi-es-la-ganadora-de-sundance-una-critica-a-la-guerra-de-irak-con-humor-y-romance-cadena-ser/)
5. [Atropia, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atropia)
6. [Sundance 2025: 13(ish) movies to look forward to, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/df054ddf56f1e08dbe596c53da1971de)
7. ['Atropia' Director on How Film Evolved from Military Documentary to Satire, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/atropia-director-military-documentary-to-satire/)
8. [Atropia (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31122579)
9. [Sundance Comedy 'Atropia' is One of the Craziest True Stories You've Never Heard, Variety](https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sundance-comedy-atropia-hailey-gates-debut-1236285479/)
10. [North Korea's Bitcoin and Kenya's New Railway: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing - The Atlantic, theatlantic.com](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/09/north-koreas-bitcoin-and-kenyas-new-railway-the-week-in-global-affairs-writing/539841/)
11. ['We've got drone swarms, dirty bombs, radar-jamming': the fake town where America practises for war, The Guardian](http://theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/15/weve-got-drone-swarms-dirty-bombs-radar-jamming-the-fake-town-where-america-practises-for-war)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Film characters and fictional worlds*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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