Experiencing Interruptions?

My Own Landscapes

A former military game designer was spotted in a video game competition organized by the army. Before going to war, he made video game scenarios that prepared soldiers to cultural shocks and healed trauma. Once back from the war, his relationship with his identity, with life and with the video game changed.

  • Antoine Chapon
    Director
  • Antoine Chapon
    Writer
  • Antoine Chapon
    Producer
  • Antoine Chapon
    Editing
  • Antoine Chapon
    Video game
  • Antoine Chapon
    Sound Design
  • Antoine Chapon
    3D vegetation simulation
  • Thendral Tiroumalechetty
    Voice Over
  • Cyrille Poitevineau-Millin
    Key Cast
    "Soldier"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    videogame, idendity, landscape, testimony, virtual reality, nature
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Country of Filming:
    France
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Xavc, digital animation
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Visions du Réel, International Film Festival Nyon
    Nyon
    Switzerland
    April 17, 2020
    World Premiere
    Sesterce d’argent Fondation Goblet for the best short film of the International Competition
  • Sundance Film Festival
    Park City
    United States
    January 28, 2021
  • Palm Springs International ShortFest
    Palm Springs
    United States
    June 16, 2020
    U.S. premiere
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Rhode Island
    United States
  • Torino Film Festival
    Torino
    Italy
    November 20, 2020
    Italy
  • Vienna Independent Shorts, International Short Film Festival
    Vienna
    Austria
    May 28, 2020
    Vienna premiere
  • Norwegian Short Film Festival
    Oslo
    Norway
    June 10, 2020
    Norwegian premiere
    The Golden Chair for Best Short Documentary of the International Competition
  • Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur
    Zurich
    Switzerland
    November 3, 2020
  • Festival international du film indépendant de Bordeaux
    Bordeaux
    France
    October 8, 2020
  • Festi-Freak, Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de La Plata
    La Plata
    Argentina
    September 15, 2020
  • International Best of Short Films Festival, La Ciotat
    La Ciotat
    France
    September 19, 2020
  • Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival BIEFF
    Bucharest
    Romania
    November 11, 2020
  • Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival
    kassel
    Germany
    November 17, 2020
    German
  • Kurzfilmfestival Köln
    Cologne
    Germany
    November 21, 2020
  • Chicago underground Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    November 15, 2020
  • Vilnius International Short Film Festival
    Vilius
    Lithuania
    January 14, 2021
  • Festival Premiers Plan d'Angers
    Angers
    France
    January 15, 2021
    Mention Speciale du Jury
  • London Short film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 15, 2021
    UK
  • Brussels Independent Film Festival
    Brussels
    Belgium
    January 7, 2021
    Belgian
    Best Documentary Short Film
  • Glasgow Short Film Festival
    GLASGOW
    March 1, 2021
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival
    Las palmas
    Spain
    April 9, 2021
    Spain
  • Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen
    Nijmegen
    Netherlands
    April 8, 2021
    Netherlands
  • True/False Film Festival
    Columbia
    United States
    May 5, 2021
  • Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
    Tokyo
    Japan
    June 11, 2021
    Japan
  • Sarajevo Film Festival
    Sarajevo
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    August 17, 2021
  • 25FPS Film Festival
    Zagreb
    Croatia
    September 20, 2021
  • Telluride Film Festival
    Berkley
    United States
    September 1, 2021
  • Aesthetica Short Film
    York
    United Kingdom
  • Boston Short Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
  • Kyiv International Short Film Festival
    Kiev
    Ukraine
  • Bolton International Film Festival
    Bolton
    United Kingdom
Distribution Information
  • Antoine Chapon
    Country: France
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Antoine Chapon

Born in 1990, the artist and director Antoine Chapon studied fine arts and philosophy in France. His work questions the relation between landscapes, new technologies and traumatic memories. He has shown his work at ZKM|Karlsruhe (Germany), Centre Pompidou Museum (France) and the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale (Italy). In 2021, he is a Berlinale Talents alumnus. His first film "My Own Landscapes" won, among others, the Best Short Film Award at Visions du Réel (2020) and the Special Jury Mention at Premiers Plans festival in Angers (2021). The film has been selected in competition in many festivals such as Palm Springs Shortfest (2020), Sundance (2021), Telluride (2021) and Sarajevo (2021).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

After September 11, 2001, the United States invested in the creation of video games to recruit, train and treat soldiers. Today video games have an important part in war. Since 2013, the American army has regularly organized video game competitions to recruit future soldiers. Similarly in the video game "Armerica’s army", good players receive a contract by email. The transition from virtual to reality is brutal. This is why some players have violent traumas when they discover the reality of war.

In the era of virtual reality helmets and killer drone pilots, I would like to show images of a video game used by the American and French armies. The film is based on interviews with a veteran who knows this video game very well and now uses it in his own way. The film opens up his world to us, which he makes every day. A world of alienation and emancipation where nature is a second life.