Absurdistan

The term negative reinforcement gets a new meaning when the women of a remote village somewhere between Europe and Asia decide to go on a sex strike to convince their men to get off their butts and repair the village’s rotting water pipes. Veit Helmer’s third feature might seem reminiscent of Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, but was actually inspired by real-life events that took place in a small Turkish village. Sex in Muslim communities has always been a no-no subject, but Helmer injects his material with healthy doses of surrealism and slapstick humor to deliver a heartwarming parable, full of vitality and gusto. Absurdistan was featured at the Sundance and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals

Director: Veit Helmer

Screenwriter: Gordan Mihić, Zaza Buadze, Ahmet Golbol, Veit Helmer

Cinematography: George Beridze Music: Shigeru Umebayashi

Editing: Vincent Assmann

Principal Cast: Maximilian Mauff, Kristýna Maléřová, Nino Chkheidze

Germany, Azerbaijan / Color / Russian / 88’