Directed by Erik Horn
Fiction, 9 min, Canada, 2016

Synopsis

Atalanta, taking it’s name from the Greek story of a woman who was abandoned at birth and raised to become a prolific warrior, provides a window into a moment in the life of two sisters (Aimie & Amy) who are looking for their mother. The film takes place in a small town cafe where the sisters are speaking with a waitress  about their current circumstance. The story of where they came from, what they  aim to achieve, and their unique sisterly dynamic is told in a single shot which starts wide but ends in a tight, isolated frame of the two women. It aims to explore the ideas of family, siblings, matriarchs, and race, while leaving the audience with more questions than answers.

The Director

Erik Horn, originally from the small town of Cobble Hill, B.C. began taking photographs and making films at a young age. This passion eventually grew to a full time obsession, landing him a scholarship to Vancouver Film School. Once he completed his studies, unable to find work on set, Erik began working different jobs such as a tugboat deckhand, a shipyard labourer, and a hired hand at a cement plant. After a few years found his way onto set as a camera trainee. Erik joined IATSE 669 as a 2nd AC and began working on movies and television, playing close attention to directors such as Nacho Vigalondo, William H. Macy, and Charlotte Sieling; honing their craft right in front of him. The years of on-set experience provided Erik a great film education, as well as a means to fund his own projects. Gaining the technical understanding of film was always very important to Erik, hoping to best understand the tools used to tell the story and how to manipulate them. Erik’s time spent on set has brought his attention to various important parts of the filmmaking process which he may not have considered before, such as a hatred of ‘conventional coverage’ but a love of seeing the brushstrokes of the filmmaking process on the film itself. Erik strives to make films about subjects, which are important to him, and tell those stories in new way.