Egghead Republic

In Egghead Republic's alternative 2004, the Cold War never ended and an atomic bomb rendered what was then Soviet Kazakhstan radioactive. In the film, we follow the naive aspiring journalist Sonja Schmidt, an unpaid intern working for the megalomaniac media mogul Dino Davis at the Kalamazoo Herald. 

This coke-snorting bully's empire thrives on chaos and extremes, so when Dino hears rumours about mutated creatures – including centaurs – and smells a spectacular scoop, they travel to the Kazakh border with a film crew. Chaos erupts when the news team escapes their escorts and continues on their own. The result is a dystopian sci-fi film that draws the viewer into unforgettable madness and, with nostalgic hits and VHS-style sharp criticism, takes aim at the media's thirst for sensation.  

Egghead Republic is a film adaptation of Arno Schmidt's book The Egghead Republic. It is the second feature film by directing duo Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja and premiered this year in the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival. The screening at the Northern Film Festival is the Dutch premiere.