The Statesman

A new absurdist comedy about the importance of laughter itself.

Nestled deep in the countryside, a village stands defiantly apart from its neighbours – all humour is banned. No one has cracked a joke in generations.

When a boy is exiled for the forbidden act of laughter, his case catches the eye of the Queen. Intrigued, she dispatches a representative to uncover the truth – and finds a bitter old man whose job it is to teach the people to be funny. As the dull, harmonious peace of the village is disrupted, their stern Governor faces a terrifying dilemma: to protect their way of life, they must become the very thing they are not... funny.

Written by Joel Marlin and directed by Quentin Beroud, this sharply-drawn satire makes its world premiere.