Each year in August, from the heart of Paris, there emerges a festival offering a mix of bizarre films that surprise, delight and mystify. In sum: they're weird. For the past seven years, this festival has revealed some of the best new cult films, featured popular as well as undiscovered treasures, each one crazier than the last.

For years the festival was held in the videotheque in the shopping mall Les Halles (located in the heart of Paris). However, as its popularity has increased, and more and more movie buffs have arrived in search of strange cinema, the Festival has relocated to the larger, Forum des Images, still in Les Halles. As a result of this new location, the festival is now ready to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of people.

The festival follows a routine schedule, screening three films a day in the Large Room at 5: 30 p.m., 9: 30 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. in the Small Room. With more than 50 films on the program, the Strange Festival will be a temple of discovery for new film, far from the snobbery and competitive spirit of most festivals. There is only one competition at the Strange Festival: a selection of shorts compete for the Public Prize and for the Canal + Prize.

Retrospectives, hommages, theme nights, performances … all is in order for the event to make it an unforgettable affair. But the highlight of the festival, and what it such an event for fans around the world, are the theme nights. One theme night will de dedicated mainly to Ring, the story of a cursed video cassette that enters the black market and decimates all those who look at it. Ring and Ring 2 -both directed by Hideo Nakata and currently enjoying phenomenal success in the land of the Rising Sun - will both be screened. Unfortunately, the third, Ring 0: The Birthday, initially on the schedule, was not subtitled in time for the event and will be replaced by The Ile, another Japanese film. The second night, called "Shocking Asia," will be dedicated to the violent extremes of Hong Kong and the last theme night will honor Anne Sprinkle, the High Preistess of X who will deliver a live performance surrounded by her crew of X-starlets.

The festival is above all constructed around several themes: "Dementia", "Love Games, Death Games" and "Death by Pursuit," and three hommages (to Takashi Miike, Daniele Cipri and Franco Maresco, and Yasuzo Masumura). One can expect of course, Caligula from Tinto Brass and Bob Gucionne for the "Dementia" series, La Frusta e il corpo (The Body and the Whip) from Mario Bava and The Convent of the Sacred Beast from Norifumi Suzuki for "Love Games, Death Games" along with Race With the Devil from Jack Starrett and Death Race 2000 from Paul Bartel for "Death by Pursuit." Takashi Miike will be the star of the hommages section, as his film Audition, to be presented here, took this year's Cannes Market by storm. Daniele Cipri and Franco Maresco will provide some humor at the festival and will present their films. Movie buffs can delight in the chance to disvover Yasuzo Masumura (Akai Tenshi / L'Ange rouge), notably with the screening of his highly acclaimed Irezumi (Tatouage).

For the curious spectators, the adventure begins 23 August with a screening of Julien Donkey Boy with the director Harmory Korine (Gummo) in attendance. The fest will conclude 13 days later, on the 5th of September with the wonderful Songs From the 2nd Floor from Roy Anderson, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2000 and the Special Prize 2000. Get ready for some crazy nights.

FilmFestivals.com reporter
Christophe Pinol