We Were the Scenery
2025 · 15m · USA, Canada
Directed by Christopher Radcliff
Genres: documentary, essay film, historical
Tones: contemplative, melancholic
A documentary short reconstructing the story of two Vietnamese war refugees who, while held in a Philippine camp, were hired as background extras on the production of Apocalypse Now.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
The premise alone — refugees who became extras in Apocalypse Now — would be remarkable; that Radcliff renders it with this degree of formal grace and historical weight makes it essential viewing.
Vietnam War refugees cast as extras in Apocalypse Now — the premise is so devastatingly literary it almost doesn't need a film. Sundance Jury Prize, Oscar shortlist; for once the prestige is the floor, not the ceiling.
Sundance Short Film Jury Prize for Nonfiction, Oscar shortlisted — Radcliff reconstructing two Vietnamese refugees who were literally cast as background extras in Apocalypse Now while living its simulated reality is the kind of premise where the form has to honor the irony without exploiting it. Trust the prize circuit on this one.
Festivals
- Sundance Film Festival 2025, Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction
- 98th Academy Awards 2026, Shortlisted