There was no sex in the Soviet Union, at least not officially – what "Sexmission" are we talking about?!

In 1984, the Polish film of the same name conquered Soviet screens under a different title – 'New Amazons' – 25 minutes shorter and banned for viewers under 16.

"The sex was cut out – only the mission remained," the film's director Juliusz Machulski joked years later.

The Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (HÕFF) is proud to screen a fully restored version of this sci-fi comedy. Whether it remains a biting allegory of totalitarianism or has transformed into a vehicle for "inappropriate sexism," we leave for you to decide.

Max and Albert are hibernated for a three-year scientific experiment. Instead, they wake up half a century later in 2044 to a world changed beyond recognition: men have vanished, and the entire global population consists only of women.

Across the entire Soviet Union, 49 million people watched 'New Amazons', making it one of the most popular foreign comedies of all time. In Poland, "Sexmission" is still the most popular domestic comedy film with 12 million viewers, a true cult film, with catchphrases from it used on a daily basis.

Another film in the retro program is Czech director Karel Zeman's science fiction adventure film 'Journey to the Beginning of Time'. Though Zeman received a lifetime achievement award at HÕFF in 2016, this specific film couldn't be screened then. Now fully restored, the film follows four children as they travel down a "river of time," discovering a world of prehistoric wonder.

Full schedule with ticket sales will be announced in April. Limited number of festival passes on sale now.

The Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival will take place from April 30 to May 2. HÕFF is presented by the city of Haapsalu and Elisa.