Strange Culture follows the surreal nightmare of acclaimed artist Steve Kurtz that began when his wife Hope died in her sleep of heart failure. Local police who responded to Kurtz's 911 call deemed his art—which explores germ warfare and genetically-modified foods—to be suspicious and called the FBI. Within hours, the artist was detained as a suspected bioterrorist, and dozens of federal agents in Hazmat suits sifted through his work and impounded his computers, manuscripts, books, his cat, and even his wife’s body. Today, Kurtz and a long-time collaborator await a trial date for charges of mail fraud. A renowned media artist herself, Hershman Leeson employs novel techniques that not only uncover and subvert the tenuous politics and legality of the case, but also the conventions of documentary cinema itself.

Presented as part of the Depth of Field 2007-2008 Series

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