Ataka 51

Ataka 51

The director duo Dmitri Gorbatyi and Alex Epichoff, working under the name Ataka 51, are developing the project The Body at Providenza — a continuation of work that has been acclaimed on the international scene. Winners of the Silver Pardino at the Locarno Film Festival for their short film Hymn of the Plague (2024), they have been exploring for several years the friction zones between historical trauma, collective memory, and visual speculation.

At Providenza, they worked on writing their first feature film, The Body, as well as producing images for their short film The Diary of a vanishing girl.

"We heard about Providenza from many people we deeply respect, and all of them spoke very highly of it. There is definitely a special aura around the residency.

By the time the residency had begun, we were already engaged in two projects.

One is a photo project titled The Diary of a Vanishing Girl. The project combines photography, video, and fragments of fictionalised diary entries. The project revolves around a young girl who gradually disappears over time — the project continues our ongoing exploration of fictional characters that blend fiction and documentation, a recurring theme in our practice.

During the residency, we worked on producing images for The Diary of a Vanishing Girl, using cgi, ai tools and other methods. As well as further developing the video component and diary notes for the fictional narrative. A portion of this project will soon be published in the magazine Nuda Paper.

The second major focus during Providenza was our debut feature film project. For emerging directors there is never enough uninterrupted time to write, while balancing career demands, financial pressures, and other commitments. The residency provided the space and time needed to reflect on the writing process and move forward.

While our photo project explores one fictional persona, the feature film involves others in a similar hybrid manner. Our protagonist, in the project titled Lola Voss, is inspired by the writings of psychiatrist Ludwig Binswanger. The film explores themes of obsession blending elements of nonfiction with the fantastic.

Reflecting on our experience in Providenza, we understand that one of the greatest gifts of the residency is the immersive environment itself. Secluding ourselves in the so called “tree house” looking over the Corsican valley, we spent our first week without distraction focusing on outlining our film. As well as absorbing the island — its atmosphere, the many spaces of Providenza and becoming acquainted with the residence.

Three weeks is a short period for a film director to create something to completion, but it is an ideal amount of time to reconnect with the creative direction of a narrative.

If during the first week we had rushed head-first into work, the second week brought a different kind of clarity. Growing closer to the other residents — to Lucia and Alex, Antoine, and the wonderful volunteers who were themselves remarkable artists and people — we found ourselves entering, from what we felt was the true rhythm of Providenza.

The second week was, in many ways, the most “Providenza-like” of all. The residency is vast, never crowded or confining. You can spend your time alone with your thoughts while still feeling the presence and warmth of others. Collectively, we spent time hiking to the local waterfalls or taking the van for a swim on the beach while the weather was still warm.

Through this time together with the other residents a natural collaboration emerged. By then, we had become close with Lucy Railton and Alex Zhang Hungtai — the musical duo working on their performance during the residency. The collaboration began almost by accident — Antione hinted to Alex that we might be able to help document their performance. This spontaneous invitation grew into a video project. Our role was to document Alex and Lucy’s performance through our eyes. We filmed the entire musical performance with two uninterrupted shots from two cameras, then placed the separate video images side by side on screen. The viewer could shift their perspective between these simultaneous points of view, which we felt portrayed the essence of the performance.

During the third week, we began to feel the end of the residency nearing. In the last four days, we allowed ourselves to let go and enjoy the environment. We continued working on our photo project and other ongoing tasks, but we also allowed ourselves to dissolve into the residency experience: walking through the Jardin Aromatique, watching films, reading, writing notes, and letting the island shape our inner landscapes.

The people, conversations and time spent were very meaningful. The other residencts - Antoine, Tanis, Lea, Josephine, George, Miriam, Olivier and others became our friends and companions during the trip. We are all still in touch, and we hope this connection continues. We also want to express our gratitude to Fabien Danesi, with whom we had a chance to meet We deeply hope that we will once again have the opportunity to return to Providenza another time. Thank you Antoine for this experience."