We Were the Scenery (We Were the Scenery)

Christopher Radcliff

In 1975, after fleeing Vietnam by boat for the Philippines, a newly married couple are recruited from their refugee camp to reenact the war as background extras in a major U.S. blockbuster about the Vietnam War. This is the story of Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen were utilized as background extras in the filming of Apocalypse Now.

USA, Canada 2025, '15

DIRECTOR: Christopher Radcliff

SCENARIO: Cathy Linh Che

CAMERA: Jess X. Snow

MONTAGE: Christopher Radcliff

MUSIC: Eliot Leigh

PRODUCERS: Cathy Linh Che, Jess X. Snow

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

Sundance (2025): Short Film Jury Award
LA Asian Pacific FF (2025): Special Jury Prize
Galway Film Fleadh (2025): Best International Short
Asian American IFF (2025): Excellence in Short Filmmaking; Audience Award
Dokufest (2025): Best International Short
Kaohsiung ISFF (2025): Jury special mention
Visions du Réel
Millennium Docs Against Gravity
Sheffield Doc Fest

Christopher Radcliff

Christopher Radcliff is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has screened at festivals worldwide and online via Criterion, Short of the Week, and Lé Cinema Club. His latest film We Were the Scenery received the Short Film Jury Award for Nonfiction at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.