“A wholly unique, witty, joyful perspective on art-making, the impact of film, and how they intersect with real lives.”
– Sundance Short Film Jury
“Poignant, funny, sad, and optimistic. Should be required viewing anytime Apocalypse Now is screened!”
– Viet Thanh Nguyen
“A tour de force… a nuanced documentary that offers a new take on both the refugee story and a classic film.”
– cinéSPEAK
“A deeply sensorial, profound film.”
– Champs Elysées Film Festival
“A powerful act of reclamation that reframes war history through the intimate, overlooked voices of Vietnamese refugees.”
– Galway Film Fleadh Short Film Jury for International Documentary
In 1975, Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che fled from Vietnam by boat and docked in the Philippines, where they were utilized as background extras during the filming of Apocalypse Now. This documentary short film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Short Film Jury Prize: Nonfiction and the Special Jury Recognition for Short Documentary Film at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
Director/Editor: Christopher Radcliff
Writer/Producer: Cathy Linh Che
Executive Producer: Su Kim
Cinematographer/Producer: Jess X. Snow
Sound Designer/ Re-Recording Mixer: Haina Zhou
Assistant Editor/ Post Supervisor: Andrew Migliori
Original Score: @infuzemusic
Sound Mixer: Quyên Cat Nguyen-Le
VFX & Additional Sound Designer: Mackie Mallison
Colorist: Stephanie Park
View the trailer here.
We Were the Scenery / U.S.A. & Canada (Director: Christopher Radcliff, Writer and Producer: Cathy Linh Che, Producer & Cinematographer: Jess X. Snow). 15 minutes.
Awards
Winner, Short Film Jury Prize: Nonfiction, Sundance Film Festival, 2025
Winner, Special Jury Prize for Documentary Short, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2025
Winner, Best International Short Documentary Film, Galway Film Fleadh, 2025
Festivals
Sundance Film Festival, World Premiere, 2025
Visions du Réel, International Premiere, 2025
Sheffield DocFest, UK Premiere, 2025
Champs Elysées Film Festival, French Premiere, 2025
Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, 2025, Polish Premiere
Aspen Shortsfest, Colorado Premiere, 2025
Florida Film Festival, Florida Premiere, 2025
San Francisco Film Festival, California Premiere, 2025
Chicago Critics Film Festival, Chicago Premiere, 2025,
Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Festival, Los Angeles Premiere, 2025
Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle Premiere, 2025
Doclands Documentary Film Festival, 2025
CAAMFest, 2025
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, 2025
Ouray International Film Festival, 2025
Afterimage Festival, 2025
Palm Springs ShortsFest 2025
Rooftop Films 2025
Dokufest 2025
Galway Film Fleadh (Best International Short Documentary Film) 2025
Drim Short Film Festival 2025
BlackStar Film Festival 2025
Indy Shorts 2025
Guanajuato Film Festival 2025
Asian American International Film Festival 2025
Further reading:
San Francisco Chronicle: CAAMfest Shows the Vietnam War Is Still in Our DNA a Half a Century Later
The Verge: Behind The Scenes; The Extras of Apocalypse Now
cinéSPEAK: Two Philly Filmmakers Take Home Awards at Sundance 2025
Hollywood Reporter: Sundance Short Film Award Winners
KQED: Must-See Screenings at the 2025 SFFilm Festival
Short of the Week: Sundance Film Festival Guide
Sundance: 2025 Award Winners Announced; Stories of Finding Home; Short Film Program 4 Show Audiences the Importance of Belonging