A racially-charged short film about finding hope in a divided country — in Attila, America is at war in 1864 as Union Major General William T. Sherman plans his brutal March to the Sea through his beloved South and is confronted by the moral convictions of an escaped slave and contraband soldier. This film was adapted from their one-act play by directors Ben and Oliver Samuels
See the World Premiere of the 33 minute film ‘Attila’ on February 25, 2018 @3:45pm at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street) as part of New York City’s 7th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival. Winter Film Awards’ Elizabeth Scholnick recently spoke with the directors.
The Samuel Brothers present Attila, a short film set in 1864 during the Civil war. Originally a play written by Ben Samuels, the brothers collaborated to make what was a play into a short film after their father’s diagnosis with Cancer. They embarked on a journey that became a dream come to life for their father and for themselves. Attila is the sort of film that needs all your attention while watching, as the characters become known and as the setting of America seems not too different than the America we witness today. Every detail adds to the bigger picture. There is a about a ten minute discussion that takes place during the film between the Major General and an African-American soldier in which they get into heavy subjects requiring you to read between the lines as they undress topics that normally aren’t discussed between a white man and a black man during those times without someone being killed for their open expression.
The Major General has sympathy towards this African-American soldier who he is supposed to scold, but instead the two engage in conversation emphasizing important topics of war, racism, and why they are each fighting. There are racial slurs and the conversation makes you circle around the fact that this remains today; a black man trying to express himself while denied and dismissed by society, and the white man having the say, and the privilege at the end. We’ve come so far in this country yet war, hate, animosity and judgment towards one another based upon our skin color is still a fact.
Attila is a short that you cannot miss. It holds truth to life, corruption and power. Atilla’s lighting and fluid expression makes it captivating from beginning to end. Only 33 minutes, and on a tight budget, the Samuel Brothers made it so that you wouldn’t pay attention to how much time and money was put into it, but the dedication and the love that was poured into this film was far greater than one would expect. It is pivotal and worth your while to see how far we really have come from 1864 till now; and that no matter what you are going through, and despite your position in power, you have to take matters into your own hands.
Elizabeth Scholnick
Elizabeth Scholnick is a artist, writer, and activist. Elizabeth graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2011 with a BFA in photography, although now she is in the middle of editing her first documentary, and working on her first screenplay. Elizabeth lives in the East Village of Manhattan where she currently resides.
Instagram: @elizabethscholnick
About Winter Film Awards
New York City’s 7th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival runs February 22-March 3 2018. Check out our jam-packed lineup of 93 fantastic films in all genres from 31 countries, including Animation, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Documentary and Music Video. Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone!
Winter Film Awards is an all volunteer, minority- and women-owned registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2011 in New York City by a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts. The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the NY State Council on the Arts.
