This is the official image from “Atropia,” courtesy of the Sundance Institute. “Atropia” is almost too real to be called a satire. The film centers on Atropia, a fake city built outside of Los Angeles ...

Like Gates’ short, “Atropia” opens with a near-identical scene of an Iraqi woman played by Alia Shawkat, witnessing U.S. troops rolling through her hometown in pursuit of a suspect right as ...

By Lovia Gyarkye Arts & Culture Critic In Atropia, Gates, who also wrote the screenplay, includes a hampering romantic thread between our aspiring actress and a soldier cast as an Atropian ...