Experiencing Interruptions?

War Game

In an imagined battle between the United States and the fictional Latin American country of Cubuchilia, an American soldier has control over water resources and news media on both sides of the war. This depressed soldier profits monetarily by the continuation of the war, and therefore ensures the battle endures through his power over the water and news. Inadvertently, he causes all the soldiers on both sides to perish, and thus the war ends. He then, through his media control, presents himself as the hero of the conflict and the savior of the United States.

  • Mehrnoosh Fetrat
    Director
    Director
  • Jon Appel
    Director
    Second Director
  • Mehrnoosh Fetrat
    Writer
  • Jon Appel
    Writer
  • Kayla Watkins
    Writer
  • Mehrnoosh Fetrat
    Producer
  • Jon Appel
    Producer
  • Temple University
    Producer
  • Chauncey Owens
    Key Cast
    "Bob"
  • Brock Vickers
    Key Cast
    "Harry"
  • Caitlin Riley
    Key Cast
    "Holly Marry"
  • Jose Raul Mangual
    Key Cast
    "Armando"
  • Gerardo Salazar
    Key Cast
    "General"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Political, Drama, Human Rights
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Chinese, English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Temple University
  • Sundance Collab
    Utah
    United States
    August 1, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Trenton Film Festival
    New Jersey
    United States
    March 26, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival
    Buffalo
    United States
    August 28, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Ca' Foscari Short Film Festival
    Venice
    Italy
    March 25, 2020
    Finalist
  • Realtime International Film Festival (RTF)
    Lagos
    Nigeria
    June 7, 2021
    Semi Finalist
  • Diamond Screen Film and Media Arts Festival
    Philadelphia
    United States
    May 2, 2019
    Nominated for Best Film, Nominated for Best Cinematography ​
  • Adirondack Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    October 15, 2020
    Nominated for Best Drama Short
  • Intimalente Film Festival
    Caserta
    Italy
    December 20, 2019
    Official Selection
  • UFVA Conference
    Online
    United States
    July 27, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Mosaic Film Festival
    Georgia
    United States
    April 25, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Best of Latin America Short Film Festival
    Santa Monica
    United States
    July 24, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Nostalgia Film Festival
    Lombardy
    Italy
    September 4, 2021
    Semi Finalist
  • London Arthouse Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    October 11, 2019
    Official Selection
  • PSL
    Philadelphia
    United States
    September 13, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Box Short Film Festival
    Tehran
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    February 3, 2021
    Honorable Mention
Director Biography - Mehrnoosh Fetrat, Jon Appel

Mehrnoosh Fetrat (مهرنوش فطرت) is an award-winning filmmaker from Iran who focuses on social justice, war, and immigration. She currently works as an assistant professor at Northwestern University and has taught at several other universities, including Temple, Drexel, The College of New Jersey, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, and Saint Joseph's University.
Her passion for cinema made her change her background from Electrical Engineering to Film. She got her MA in Cinema Studies from Tehran University of Art and MFA in Film Production from Temple University. She received The University Fellowship during her education in Philadelphia.
Mehrnoosh has written, produced, and directed three short films, namely “War Game,” “America” (available to stream on Comcast’s Streampix), and “Copsi.” Her films have been screened at more than 50 film festivals and galleries in the US, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Croatia, Turkey, Iraq, India, and the United Kingdom. CFMDC--Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Center--is the distribution company for her films.
She founded Philadelphia’s Utopia Film Club for cinephiles to watch and discuss avant-garde and alternative cinema. She has been nominated for the Princess Grace Award and PEW Fellowship. Her films are admired by people such as Boots Riley and Golshifteh Farahani.
Mehrnoosh’s primary research is on the history of Iranian documentary filmmaking. She is working on a feature documentary "Unfinished: Kamran Shirdel: about an influential pioneer in Iranian documentary who faced censorship before and after the Islamic Revolution for depicting poverty in Tehran.

Add Director Biography