Private Project

ATTILA

Canadian filmmaker Stephen Hosier focuses the lens of his first feature documentary uncomfortably close to home. Hosier joins his childhood friend Richard Csanyi in investigating the life and premature passing of the latter’s twin brother, Attila. Found dead on a Hamilton rooftop in May 2020, the 28-year-old was expelled from a long-term care residence even as he grappled with opioid addiction and schizophrenia. A creative expression of grief and healing, this stirring home-grown film compassionately explores the intersection of personal trauma and the systems that fail those in need, while striving toward a place of forgiveness and understanding. ATTILA is a beautiful portrait honouring one man’s tragedy and the family he left behind, but it also provides audiences with a valuable window into the extreme systemic obstacles experienced by far too many in Canada and around the world.

  • Richard Csanyi
    Featuring
  • Stephen Hosier
    Director
  • Josh Su
    Producer
  • Stephen Hosier
    Producer
  • Richard Csanyi
    Writer
  • Grayson Moore
    Writer
  • Eamonn O'Conner
    Supervising Editor
  • Ashton Lewis
    Editors
  • Daniel Haack
    Editors
  • Nikolay Michaylov
    Cinematography
  • Sarah Neufeld
    Composer
  • Alan Zweig
    Consulting Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 19 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Arri
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Rendezvous with Madness
    Toronto
    Canada
    October 10, 2023
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Stephen Hosier

Stephen Hosier is a Toronto based documentary filmmaker and graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Image Arts: Film Studies. He is known for his short film The Man Who Walks Backwards, released on Bell Let’s Talk Day 2021. Inspired by his father’s lifetime’s work in the sector of mental health, Stephen aims to help reduce the stigma attached to it by promoting awareness and understanding through the stories he helps share from people close to him. ATTILA is his feature debut.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“I received a phone call from Richard the day he learned of the death of his twin brother and my childhood friend, Attila. In the soon aftermath, Richard and I decided to make a film together that would investigate Attila’s life and death. Filming this project also provided Richard with a familiar creative outlet during a time of immense grieving – we had been making movies together since high school. Through this film, I believe Richard and I have spotlighted systemic failures which affected the twins since childhood and countless other Canadians today. In exploring and sharing the story of Attila’s life, I believe we have revealed meaning in his death. I am proud of the film Richard and I have made together, in honour of him.”