Following a somewhat lengthy hiatus, the Medal of Honor series returned last year with the well-received VR title, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Now, one of several short films produced for the title has made history by picking up a surprise nomination for this year's Academy Awards on April 25.
Collete tells the harrowing tale of 90-year-old Colette Marin-Catherine, one of the few surviving members of the French Resistance during World War 2. It was co-produced by Oculus and Respawn Entertainment, with the latter now able to call itself the first and only Oscar nominated video game studio in existence. It's also a first for Facebook too, not to mention the filmmakers themselves.
The 24 minute short film was directed by Anthony Giacchino and produced by Alice Doyard, Annie Bush and Aaron Matthews. Respawn's Peter Hirschmann is credited as its executive producer, having also served as the director for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. They now all have a trip to LA to look forward to, where their work will be competing in the Documentary Short Subject category when the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony takes place next month.
Although undoubtedly the most prestigious, this is not the first critical acclaim that Colette has received. In fact, were it not for its successful film festival runs, the film would not even have been eligible for an Oscar nomination in the first place. With a few smaller awards already under their belts though, the Medal of Honor team now find themselves on the precipice of winning the greatest honor in film making. Even if they're unsuccessful, it's still an incredible achievement and will no doubt serve as a fantastic experience for the talented team.
Given Medal of Honor's strong connection with the medium, it was perhaps only a matter of time before it picked up some recognition for its efforts in film. As fans will likely already know, the series was originally conceived by Steven Spielberg during the production of Saving Private Ryan and the veteran director even wrote the stories for the first three games. They've always included cinematic qualities too, although nothing quite as ambitious as the short films included in Above and Beyond's gallery.
Although much has changed since Medal of Honor first burst onto the scene back in 1999, it remains incredibly popular with modern gamers and a respected pillar of the FPS Genre. That it's also able to provide opportunities for aspiring film-makers to showcase their talent is just another string to its bow; and one that Respawn Entertainment will be keen to develop as the series moves forwards.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is out now on Oculus.