Alia Shawkat | Courtesy: Vertical

Vertical has acquired North American rights to Hailey Gates’ feature directorial debut “Atropia,” winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Feature at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The film, starring Alia Shawkat (Severance) and Callum Turner (Masters of the Air), will open in theaters this December.

The ensemble cast includes Chloë Sevigny, Jane Levy, Tim Heidecker, Lola Kirke, Zahra Alzubaidi, and Jamie McShane. Produced by Luca Guadagnino, Naima Abed, Emilie Georges, Lana Kim, and Jett Steiger, the film marks Gates’ transition from documentary to narrative storytelling.

In Atropia, an aspiring actress (Shawkat) working at a simulated military training facility falls for a soldier (Turner) cast as an insurgent, blurring the line between reality and performance. Inspired by real-life desert role-play camps, Gates conceived the idea after visiting similar installations in California.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s found a home with Vertical, a company that takes bold creative swings,” said Gates. Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey added, “Hailey has created an impressive debut led by an outstanding cast and set in a world rarely seen on screen.”

The deal was negotiated by Jarowey and Tony Piantedosi for Vertical, with UTA Independent Film Group and WME Independent representing the filmmakers.