Strange Culture (2007)

A documentary in which actors interpret the legally touchy subject of artist Steve Kurtz, who is being held as a suspected terrorist because of his work.

Director:

Lynn Hershman-Leeson

Writer:

Lynn Hershman-Leeson

Stars:

Thomas Jay Ryan, Tilda Swinton, Peter Coyote

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Thomas Jay Ryan	...	Steve Kurtz
Tilda Swinton	...	Hope Kurtz
Peter Coyote	...	Self
Josh Kornbluth	...	Self
Steve Kurtz	...	Self
Shoresh Alaudini	...	Loren
Cassie Powell	...	Lise
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jakob Bokulich	...	FBI Agent
Gregg Bordowitz	...	Self - Artist / CAE Defense Fund
Larissa Clayton	...	Char
Beatriz da Costa	...	Self
Susan Leeson	...	Self (as Dr. Susan Leeson)
Jennifer Noland	...	Art Student
Keith Olbermann	...	Self
Marcie Prohofsky	...	FBI Agent

Storyline

The surreal nightmare of internationally-acclaimed artist/professor Steve Kurtz began when his wife, Hope, died in her sleep of heart failure. Medics arrived, became suspicious of Kurtz's art, and called the FBI. Within hours, the artist was declared a suspected bioterrorist. Agents descended on his house, sifted through his work and impounded his computers, manuscripts, books, cat, and even his wife's body.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | reenactment | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Official Selection, Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2007

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Quotes

[first lines]
news caster: Like many an unfortunate drama, the story begins with a death. Steve Kurtz called 911 early on the morning of May 11th, after his wife suffered cardiac arrest and died in her sleep. When police arrived on the scene they saw not a 45-year old woman claimed well before her time, but rather petri dishes and sophisticated scientific equipment...

User Reviews

Declaration of Conscience

This is an important movie to watch, especially for young adults and/or patriotic Americans who may not have heard about a tragic period in US history referred to as McCarthyism: a period when the government led an aggressive campaign against its own citizens looking for communist sympathizers- there was even a "House of Un-American Activities Committee" formed. Thousands were threatened, blacklisted, and arrested - mainly teachers, artists, folks in the entertainment business and government employees - guilty of nothing other than free thought.

Since 9/11, we and our government are acting hysterically. The events as captured in this film are evidence.

"Some of the basic principles of Americanism: The right to criticize; The right to hold unpopular beliefs; The right to protest; The right of independent thought." from Statement of Senator Margaret Chase Smith, June 1, 1950

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Niebezpieczna kultura

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,305

Company Credits

Production Co:

L5 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1