Answering Strange

I. For this, the two thousand and fourteenth Year of Our Lord, Jim/Joyce had to consider three hundred and fifty films for programming. All of them shorts, as that is all they will accept.

II. They number they strive to show varies from year to year. They are allowed roughly six and a half hours at ManBites Dog Theater, so the number depends on how many entries push the thirty-minute limit. Additionally, they have been pushing for more time and accepting more and more entries since Strange Beauty began. Ambition is parabolic, and they are beginning to mount the bell.

III to V. Jim/Joyce personally watch each and every entrant's work, making observations and jotting down inclinations, and possibly interpretations, on index cards. They often must first expunge artists attempting to sneak in installation pieces. Films only, goddammit.

VI. There is no quantitatively oriented template/rubric for the selection process. The films that are selected are those that strike Jim/Joyce in a unique, highly subjective fashion. Quoth the Haverkamp: "Weird Alchemy." Each however must be endowed with a vibrant emotional core.

VII. There is no jury. There never was. There is only Jim, there is only Joyce.

VIII. The call for entries is sounded some five months prior to the festival. In the beginning, near all films came in as the deadline loomed. Now, filmmakers previously showcased tend to send in their latest work shortly after they hear the call, resulting in two waves of entrants: one in the beginning, and one in the end.

IX. There are no paid employees. There are no volunteers. No apprentices, journeymen, tyros, nor even minions. There is only Jim and Joyce.

X. No real need for elaborate software measures. The festival itself is generally conducted via an iTunes playlist or Vimeo streams, depending on how the films were submitted.

XI. Strange Beauty does not indulge in fundraisers. Most off-season awareness comes in the form of requests from art galleries for Jim and Joyce to curate visual accompaniment to a program. Occasionally "Best Of Strange Beauty" screenings are held.

XII. There is always some material consideration gifted to the filmmakers. Little things, cheap, kitschy, funny. In the first year the bags were filled with the detritus of Dollar Tree. Once a filmmaker from Winnipeg attended the festival and was given a Durham license plate.

XIII to XIV. They do not, but neither are they given assistance in paying for travel and lodging. Strange Beauty must be low-key to function in accordance with its purpose.

XV. Entrants get to drink deep from the well of Jim and Joyce's knowledge of Durham, given suggestions for restaurants and venues of art and/or entertainment.

XVI. To have donor perks would require donors. One may consider ManBites Dog Theater a donor, as they are donating space and time. Their perk is forty percent of ticket sales.

XVII. Jim's heart is not particularly heavy with regret. At least not concerning Strange Beauty. So far the festival has kept to the desire that seeded its gestation.

XVIII. Strange Beauty still runs annually. May it always do so.

XIX. Keep it simple. A festival exists for the films, not for itself. Tailor it to the needs and wants of the type of person that could make the type of film you are seeking. Always provide some consideration, regardless of price. And let the filmmakers know how appreciative you are of them during the festival and afterwards.