Facebook and EA Win Video Game Industry’s First Oscar For Short Film ‘Colette’

What would your reaction be if you were told that gaming-oriented companies such as EA have made a documentary, naturally you would be pretty much surprised, right? But it doesn’t end here, On Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, Facebook’s Oculus Studios and EA’s Respawn Entertainment bagged their first Oscar for “Colette”, a short film presented by both parties (The Guardian has streaming rights to the film). Along with this “Colette” also become the first video game industry project/film to win an Oscar, well who could have guessed.

Featured in the World War II-set VR video game “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond,” the 25-minute film, Colette, tells the real-life story of a French Resistance survivor, Colette Marin-Catherine (turned 92 on Sunday), who returns to Germany for the first time in 74 years with the help of history student Lucie Fouble, to visit her brother (killed by Nazis in World War II).

“The real hero here is Colette herself, who has shared her story with integrity and strength,” Mike Doran, Oculus Studios director of production said in a statement. “Allowing us to preserve this pilgrimage for future generations was a true act of bravery and trust. It’s true what they say: It really is an honor just to be nominated. And it’s an incredible moment to win.”

“Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond” has blended its gameplay together while using this short film by focusing on stories of veterans from the war. Players in the game assume the role of an Allied agent who is tasked with infiltrating and outsmarting the Nazi war machine.

Colette has become the first project from the game industry to win an Oscar, so it would clearly be worth checking out. Watch it for free on YouTube, Facebook’s Oculus TV, and U.K.’s The Guardian newspaper.