L’Étrange Festival enters its third decade, and its greatest reward lies in witnessing a growing patronage by new generations, ever more eager for discoveries and bold, "different" artistic propositions.

The menu of this 31st feast should satisfy you in every way.

From the return among us of the immense Barbara Steele, the ultimate horror goddess, for an evening in her honor, to Stephen Sayadian, the pope of porn pop who is back with a carte blanche concurring with the re-release of two of his masterpieces, not omitting the definitive recognition of Adilkhan Yerzhanov, the (prolific!) figurehead of Kazakh cinema, presenting no fewer than three films this year, along with a thunderous carte blanche: this edition definitely turns out to be an overflowing cornucopia.

Horror cinema planted its roots in France at the beginning of the last century. David Gregory and Serge Bromberg, two of the world’s best early cinema archeologists, have devised a dazzling program around the famous Grand Guignol.

“The medium is the message” proclaimed Canadian Marshall McLuhan 61 years ago. A message well understood by Laurent Courau, creator of the thrilling website La Spirale, who for the last 30 years has been detailing all the most exciting and creative work coming from the divergent arts planet. An anniversary in the shape of a carte blanche was called for in order to attest his mission’s legitimacy.

Mission is also very much the word with the oh so necessary rediscovery of the work of the precious and turbulent Robert Lapoujade and the recent and much expected restoration of his films, but L’Étrange also consolidates its very engaging collaboration with the INA archives service, by showcasing INA Fantastica on the big screen, featuring hidden treasures by prestigious authors, all created under the seal of the bizarre.

And let’s not forget our customary international competitions, preview premières, thrilling concerts, discoveries and other unmissable nuggets, to provide you with more of the dizzying programmation you’ve come to expect from L’Étrange every year.

Serves you right!

L'ÉTRANGE FESTIVAL