A debut documentary from Canadian film-maker Stephen Hosier has been given one of seven 2024 National Champion of Mental Health Awards by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Health and Mental Illness (CAMIMJ).
Hosier’s film is uncomfortably close to home as he follows his long-time friend Richard Csanyi in an exploration of the life and premature death of his twin brother Attila. Found dead on a rooftop in Hamilton, Attila had become homeless and missing for weeks after being expelled from a long-term care residence due to his challenges with both addiction and schizophrenia. Richard also shares the stirring story of abuse that he and his brother endured as foster children in their younger years growing up in Lindsay. It’s been called “a compassionate exploration of the intersection of personal trauma and the systems that fail those in need, while striving towards a place of forgiveness and understanding.”
Soon after Attila was released, a coroner’s inquest was called and recommendations made at preventing similar deaths and a comprehensive review of care facilities in Hamilton.
Attila which shows Hosiers, “immensely promising and uncompromising talent” according to The Globe and Mail is now streaming on Crave.
