A Time Out of War is a 1954 American short war film directed by Denis Sanders. It won an Academy Award in 1955 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel), first prize at the Venice Film Festival Live Action Short Film category, and a special BAFTA Award.Denis Sanders was in UCLA film school whilst his brother was a UCLA undergraduate. For Denis's thesis, he searched for an American Civil War short story that was in the public domain to make a film out of. He chose Pickets, an 1897 story by Robert W.