a film by BRUNO DUMONT
starring BRANDON VLIEGHE, ANAMARIA VARTOLOMEI,
LYNA KHOUDRI, CAMILLE COTTIN, and FABRICE LUCINI
WINNER
Silver Bear Jury Prize – 2024 Berlinale
In Theaters March 7
“This new film from French filmmaker Bruno Dumont is mad. A completely unique take – both aesthetically and thematically – on the timeworn alien invasion genre.”
– David Jenkins, Little White Lies
“Playing his signature brand of rural French absurdity in stark counterpoint to the grandiose strains of a space opera, Bruno Dumont returns with The Empire: his Barbarella bourguignon, his dijionnaise Dune.”
– Rory O’Connor, The Film Stage
Kino Lorber is pleased to present THE EMPIRE, a slapstick space opera from the singular mind of Bruno Dumont. Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the 2024 Berlinale, THE EMPIRE opens at New York’s IFC Center on March 7 with national expansion to follow.
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 the 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. Featuring performances from Fabrice Luchini, Camille Cottin, and Anamaria Varolomei, THE EMPIRE is part Star Wars, part Spaceballs, and 100% Dumont.
