ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Oscar-winning documentary 'Colette' originated in a VR video game

award · 2026-04-27

The short documentary 'Colette' won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 2021 Oscars. It was originally created for the virtual reality video game 'Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond' by Respawn Entertainment (Electronic Arts). Directed by Anthony Giacchino and produced with Oculus Studios, the 25-minute film follows 90-year-old Colette Marin-Catherine, a former French Resistance member, as she visits the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp in Germany for the first time, accompanied by 17-year-old student Lucie Fouble. The film explores memory, resistance, and the ethics of representation. It was part of the game's 'Gallery' mode, a collection of unlockable documentary shorts. After being acquired by The Guardian and winning Best Short at the Big Sky Festival, it became Oscar-eligible. This marks the first time a video game studio production has won an Academy Award.

Key facts

  • Colette won the 2021 Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject.
  • The documentary was created for the VR game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
  • The game was developed by Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts.
  • Director Anthony Giacchino co-produced with Oculus Studios.
  • The film features Colette Marin-Catherine, a 90-year-old former French Resistance member.
  • She visits the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp with student Lucie Fouble.
  • Her brother died at the camp, forced to work on V2 ballistic missiles.
  • The film was originally part of the game's 'Gallery' mode of documentary shorts.
  • It was acquired and distributed by The Guardian and is available on YouTube and Oculus TV.
  • This is the first Academy Award won by a video game studio production.

Entities

Artists

  • Anthony Giacchino
  • Colette Marin-Catherine
  • Lucie Fouble
  • David OReilly
  • Tuono Pettinato
  • Matteo Lupetti

Institutions

  • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • Respawn Entertainment
  • Electronic Arts
  • Oculus Studios
  • The Guardian
  • Big Sky Festival
  • VIS Vienna Shorts
  • La Coupole
  • Tendance Ouest
  • Artribune
  • FISAR
  • Scuola Internazionale di Comics di Firenze
  • Gravure

Locations

  • Germany
  • France
  • Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp

Sources