The Empire

In a quiet and picturesque fishing village in Northern France, a very special child is born, unleashing a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good and evil. In an attempt to restore their empires, two opposing forces from the depths of outer space, One and Zero, unleash an apocalyptic conflict on Earth. The villainous Zero forces secretly take over the bodies of village locals in order to foster pandemonium on our planet. At the same time, a new species engineered by the One is working towards a new, harmonious evolution.

While waiting for the final battle, the imperial legions struggle to win humanity over to their cause. If that all sounds a bit out there, that’s because this slapstick space opera comes from the singular mind of Bruno Dumont (France, Slack Bay). Featuring wonderfully bizarre performances from French stars Fabrice Luchini, Camille Cottin, and Anamaria Varolomei, this gonzo sci-fi spectacle is part Star Wars, part Spaceballs, and 100% Dumont.

“Original and, per custom, impeccably made.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“A strange hybrid beauty, mixing the profane and the sacred: a light sabre brushing against the barely made-up face of an actress, a ballet of spaceships in broad daylight, dialogue straight out of Star Wars but recited in the middle of pavilions, the face of a young star licking that of a stranger.” – Le Monde