Max Mauff, lead actor of Absurdistan will be present to do a Q&A following the screening.One of the most imaginative and inventive of contemporary filmmakers, director Veit Helmer creates his own distinctive world in gently satirical fables that are full of allusions to early cinema. Absurdistan, his delightful third feature (following Tuvalu and Gate to Heaven), is set in a fictional Eastern European village where the lack of water creates a state of war between the sexes. The women, fed up with the men’s inaction, take matters into their own hands and declare a strike. No water, no sex. Eager to consummate his relationship with his beloved Aya, intrepid inventor Temeiko plans to repair the ageing water pipe, but the older men scoff at his designs.

More absurdist comedy than political parable, Helmer’s film contains very little dialogue. It’s not a silent movie, but its peculiar brand of physical comedy has some of the qualities of classic silent capers and the primitive special effects are reminiscent of those charming Georges Melies fantasies. In short, Absurdistan is a treat for the eyes and funny bone.