The Masturbator: The Adventures of Edgar Hilsenrath

Synopsis

The Masturbator: The Adventures of Edgar Hilsenrath brings to life the outrageous, uncensored world of Edgar Hilsenrath, the Holocaust survivor who turned trauma into black comedy gold. Through a bold mix of animation and archival footage, the film follows Hilsenrath’s alter ego in Fuck America his most famous novel: a broke, sex-obsessed writer in 1950s New York, desperate to publish his scandalous ghetto memoir, titled The Masturbator.  

His journey mirrors Hilsenrath’s own from Nazi Germany in the to the doomed shtetls of Bucovina, the broken promises of America, and a disillusioned return to Europe’s rising far-right shadows.  

Burlesque animated sketches clash with raw historical images, creating a visceral, darkly funny portrait of a man who laughed in the face of horror. More than a biography, it’s a wake-up call, using Hilsenrath’s razor-sharp satire to expose the cycles of hatred, fascism, and oblivion. 

About the Director

François-Xavier Destors

François-Xavier Destors (b. 1986) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who works on the representation of mass crimes and crimes against humanity. In 2009 he published his first book about the role of cinema in the memory of the Rwandan genocide (After images, Cinema and genocide in Rwanda) and directed over there his first feature length documentary film (Football Rwanda, Fields of Memories, 2014). He has been writing and directing for television and cinema since 2011. His films, such as Melting Souls (2018), Mandela, a symbol against Apartheid (2019), Thiaroye 44 (2022), Toxicily (2023), The Invisibles (2024), Didy (2025), have been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. He founded Saule Productions in 2022.

Artistic Statement

At the heart of this animated documentary lies Fuck America, Hilsenrath’s cult novel about a broke, sex-obsessed writer in 1950s New York, desperate to write a scandalous book about his ghetto past. The film plunges into the Nazi Germany of his youth, the doomed shtetls of Bucovina, the shattered illusions of the new state of Israel and the American Dream, and his disillusioned return to a Europe haunted by resurgent far-right specters. The misadventures of Edgar Hilsenrath’s alter egos, his literary doppelgängers, rendered in burlesque, chilling animated vignettes that clash with raw documentary images.

In a world where history threatens to repeat itself as farce, his laughter isn’t just defiance, it’s a survival tactic. By resurrecting his voice, The Masturbator doesn’t just commemorate; it arms. It’s a film for younger generations who’ve never known the stench of fascism’s rise, a wake-up call wrapped in Hilsenrath’s irreverent, uncompromising spirit.

About the Producer

Clara Vuillermoz studied Political Science and Cinema before specializing in documentaries. She worked in several production companies before joining Les Films du Balibari and Point du Jour in 2015. In 2024, she joined Solent Production for new adventures. She has twice been awarded the Procirep “Best Producer of the Year” prize (2014 and 2019).

Clara is a 2014 Eurodoc graduate, a 2019 Sundance grantee, and a 2022 EAVE Producers’ Workshop alumna. She has also served as a member of film commissions such as the CNC Fonds d’aide à l’innovation (FAIA), Procirep, and various regional funds.

Among her recent credits are SECOND COURSE by Julie Talon (ARTE France), which had its world premiere at Fipadoc 2026; THE IMPOSTER BY JAVIER CERCAS by Catherine Bernstein (ARTE France), which premiered at the Brain Film Festival 2025; THE BLACK GARDEN by Alexis Pazoumian, which had its world premiere at CPH:DOX 2024; CONGO-OCÉAN: A RAILWAY LINE OF BLOOD by Catherine Bernstein (Sales: Zed), which premiered at Fipadoc 2024; POLARIS by Ainara Vera (co-produced with Ánôrak Film Greenland; distribution: Jour2Fête; The Party Film Sales), which premiered in ACID Cannes 2022; THIS TRAIN I RIDE by Arno Bitschy (co-produced with Napa Film Finland, ARTE, and Deckert Distribution), which premiered at One World Prague 2020; and THE FRUITLESS TREE and ZINDER by Aicha Macky (co-produced with Tabous Film Niger, Corso Film Germany, ARTE, and Andana Film Sales), which premiered at Visions du Réel Nyon 2021. 

Solent Productions

SOLENT produces films by directors in France and abroad, focusing on documentaries about timeless social and political issues. Founded in 2024 by Maxime Bonneau, SOLENT is the alliance of ex Point du Jour-Les films du balibari producers – Luc Martin Gousset, Igor Ochronowicz, Clara Vuillermoz – with the team of GUMP, a post-production studio based in Paris and GWASH, a hybrid video lab specialized in advertising. SOLENT combines editorial, creative and technical skills developed through years of experience. 

About the Animator

Born in 1980, Charlie Mars is an artist living and working in France. After a plasterer’s diploma and unconventional experiences as a fakir, diaper deliveryman or punk singer, he quickly developed a passion for the medium of video in all its creative applications. In 2004, wearing a multicolored balaclava and using a CCTV camera, he made his first videos and some of the very first tutorials on the French Internet, alone in his bathroom. From 2004 to 2007, he worked for the local French channel “Télénantes”, presenting and directing various short formats. In 2006, Charlie Mars met the video artist Pierrick Sorin, with whom he continues to collaborate regularly, both in the production of works and in the staging of operas. At the same time, he was discovered by the French national channel Canal+, where he presented the program “Home-Made Movies” from 2008 to 2010. In 2012, he continued his experiments on stage with the performance “Free Sausage” and “Pregnant Man”. He has directed over sixty music videos and two children’s musicals in 2011 and 2013 in Quebec, Canada. In 2016, his short film “Pregnant Man” was selected for over 30 festivals and won 3 awards. Attentive to all forms of creation, he turned to animation in particular in 2014. He gradually returned to drawing, which he had neglected for more than 15 years. After becoming aware of the graphic dimension of his work, he actively turned to 2D and 3D animation and illustration, without abandoning live action. In 2021, the animated object “Coucou Tchoutchou” attracted the attention of many festivals (Annecy, Pictoplasma, etc.) and won several awards. 

About the Composer

Eric Slabiak is a composer, violinist, songwriter, and singer born in Paris to a family of Polish Jewish immigrants, where music has been a way of life for generations. He began playing the violin at the age of five and won First Prize at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels at 21. Alongside his classical training, he developed a passion for Eastern European music, which became central to his artistic identity. From the age of 17, he was already performing in restaurants and cabarets.  

In 1992, he co-founded the band Les Yeux Noirs with his brother. Over 25 years, the group released eight albums—including a Victoires de la Musique nomination in 1998—and performed 1,800 concerts in around forty countries across five continents. They appeared at major international venues and festivals in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The band gave its final concert on December 31, 2017, at the Théâtre Montansier in Versailles. 

In addition to his work with Les Yeux Noirs, Slabiak collaborated on albums and tours with artists such as Mano Solo, Philippe Léotard, and Bernard Lavilliers. Since 2000, he has composed numerous original soundtracks for documentaries and fiction films for television and cinema, working with acclaimed film and theatre directors. 

He has also created stage productions exploring Yiddish repertoire, notably Yiddish Mélodies in 2009.  Since 2005, he has collaborated with storyteller Muriel Bloch, recording and touring several musical storytelling projects. In 2019, he founded a new five-piece band, Josef Josef, whose repertoire draws on Balkan music, Yiddish songs, and Romani melodies.