Strange Culture

STRANGE CULTURE, the latest film of acclaimed director Lynn Hershman Leeson (“Teknolust,” 30th CIFF), supersedes the norms of documentary filmmaking to expose the shocking repercussions of post-9/11 paranoia. In 2004, while respected artist and college professor Steve Kurtz was working on an exhibition concerning genetically modified food, his wife Hope suddenly died of heart failure. When the paramedics arrived at the Kurtz household, they hardly eased this tragic situation for Steve. Upon seeing his art supplies, including bacteria-speckled petri dishes and mutant flies bought over the Internet, the paramedics became suspicious and called the FBI. Soon after, dozens of men in hazmat suits were rifling through his entire household, impounding his computers, books, cat, and even his deceased wife. For the past three years, the government has maintained charges against Kurtz as a suspected bioterrorist with little evidence. Due to legal stipulations, Kurtz cannot discuss the case. Thus, along with news footage, animation, and testimonials, Leeson employs actors, including Tilda Swinton (“Teknolust”) and Thomas Jay Ryan as Hope and Steve Kurtz, to reenact this appalling story of government incompetence. – E.J.B.