Laugh with Mennonites on Saturday

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This article was published 03/02/2016 (3001 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Are Mennonites, the hard-working, stereotypically dour people, actually funny?

Director Orlando Braun hopes viewers will agree when he presents his hybrid documentary/comedy That Mennonite Joke for the first time Saturday afternoon in Steinbach.

The 19-minute short follows Niverville comedian Matt Falk as he investigates whether Mennonite culture is funny enough to include in his stand-up routine. He interviews humorists, authors and entertainers, like authors Miriam Toews and Armin Wiebe and MJ’s Kafe’s owner Brian Bartel, along the way in a sort of comedic walkabout through the Mennonite culture.

“Since Steinbach is so closely connected to several of the characters in the film, and likely the early adopters that’ll (hopefully) embrace the film reside in southern Manitoba, we thought it would be the best fit to host a premiere there,” said Braun. “The screening is free and there’s free food, how could you go wrong?”

The free screening runs Saturday, Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. at the Keystone Cinema in Steinbach, 353 Elmdale Street. There will be a faspa reception and a question and answer session with Falk and the filmmakers after the film.

The short was produced by Braun’s Winnipeg-based production company, Prairie Boy Productions.