“Atropia” is a masterfully dark satire because of how loud its subtleties are whilst remaining laugh-out-loud hilarious. With its stunning direction and acting, this relevant and innovative venture is sure to make its mark within the wider canon of American war films.

Like many of the independent films that premiered at this muted edition of Sundance, “Atropia” has not yet sold to a distributor.

Hailey Gates’ “Atropia” and Brittany Shyne’s “Seeds” claimed the top jury awards at Sundance, along with audience favorites "Twinless,” “DJ Ahmet” and “Prime Minister.”

The war satire “Atropia,” about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O’Brien movie “Twinless” got the coveted audience award.

Storytelling is important, part of human continuity,” Sundance interim CEO Amanda Kelso said at the top of the ceremony, quoting its founder Robert Redford. This year’s U.S. dramatic jury consists Reinaldo Marcus Green,