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Heavy Metal in Baghdad

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Wikipedia article




'Heavy Metal in Baghdad' is a 2007 rockumentary film following filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi as they track down the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda amidst the Iraq War.

Synopsis



In 2003, the Iraqi heavy-metal band Acrassicauda was the subject of a 'Vice' magazine article. With the magazine's help, they were able to stage a sell-out show in 2005 despite the recent ousting of Saddam Hussein. Filmmakers from Vice returned to Iraq in 2006 to track down the band. Upon their return they discovered the multitude of death and destruction, including rehearsing studios destroyed by bombs.

Candid interviews with the band members allows an insight into a sub section of society steeped in American pop culture and the hostilities this attracts.[http://www.tiff07.ca/filmsandschedules/filmdetails.aspx?id=706251032241293 Heavy Metal in Baghdad] TIFF

Production



The film was shot over three years.[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/sep/28/popandrock3 Baghdad band on the run] The Guardian. 28 September 2008 Filming locations included Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq, Beirut, Lebanon and Damascus, Syria.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092007/locations Filming locations for Heavy Metal in Baghdad] IMDB The film was distributed by VBS.tv, part of the 'Vice' media conglomerate. During the filming it was revealed that the Syrian government did not intend to extend the visas of the band to stay in Syria; as a result, the filmmakers campaigned to raise funds to relocate the band in a safer country, rather than return to Iraq.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071118025304/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/09/21/iraqi-heavy-metal-band-asks-for-help-as-they-fight-to-survive/ Iraqi Heavy Metal Band Asks for Help as They Fight to Survive] Rolling Stone. 21 September 2007 In 2009, the band were resettled in the United States as refugees.[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/arts/music/03metal.html One Band Moves Its Metal Out of Iraq] New York Times. 2 February 2009

Release



The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2007.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092007/releaseinfo Release dates for Heavy Metal in Baghdad] IMDB This was followed by a 10 February screening at the Berlin International Film Festival. On 13 March 2008, it was screened at Greece's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

It received an official theatrical release in the United States on 23 May 2008 and a limited theatrical release in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2008.

The film has been screened at several other international film festivals, including Mexico's Expresin en Corto International Film Festival on 24 July 2008. This was followed by a 21 September 2008 screening at Finland's Helsinki International Film Festival. Further European festival screenings in 2008 took place on 25 September at Iceland's Reykjavk International Film Festival, 10 October screening at Belgium's Ghent International Film Festival and Poland's Warsaw International Filmfest on 10 October also.

DVD

The film was released on DVD in the United States on 10 June. The collector's edition includes over 90 minutes of bonus material. This includes a 45-minute featurette, seven additional and deleted scenes (live performances and interviews), an 8-page booklet including the original 'Vice' magazine article "No War For Heavy Metal" as well as a teaser trailer.[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=96903 'Heavy Metal In Baghdad' DVD Due Next Month] Blabbermouth. 13 May 2008

Book

A book accompanying the film was released in 2009, titled "Heavy Metal in Baghdad - The Story of Acrassicauda". The book was edited by Andy Capper, editor of 'Vice' magazine in the UK and Europe. The book offers an oral history of the band's journey, made up of extended interviews with key members.

Reception



The film was generally well received by critics. It has a rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 24 critics.[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heavy_metal_in_baghdad/ Heavy Metal In Baghdad (2008)] Rotten Tomatoes

The 'New York Times' praised the film as "An intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage...Both a stirring testament to the plight of cultural expression in Baghdad and a striking report on the refugee scene in Syria, this rock-doc like no other electrifies its genre and redefines headbanging as an act of hard-core courage."[https://movies.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/movies/23meta.html?ref=movies (Movie Review) Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2007)] New York Times. 23 May 2008

The 'Los Angeles Times' described the film as "More than just another Iraq-doc, 'Heavy Metal' is a surprisingly up-close look at the toll of the war on young people, and how they still have dreams and still want to jam, party and get down. If 'Once' was about the romance of creativity, 'Heavy Metal in Baghdad' is about the total, unrelenting obsession. They have no choice. They must rock."[http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-capsules23-2008may23,0,4816439.story Movie reviews] Los Angeles Times

Reporting on film premiering at the 2007 TIFF, 'Rolling Stone' described the film as "the most powerful music film" of the festival.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070921194320/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/09/14/from-joy-division-to-bob-dylan-to-metal-in-iraq-music-movies-rock-toronto-film-festival/ From Joy Division to Bob Dylan to Metal in Iraq: Music Movies Rock Toronto Film Festival] Rolling Stone. 14 September 2007

The film also garnered favourable reactions from leading British publications such as 'The Daily Telegraph' and 'The Guardian'. The former praised the film in that it "brings home the cultural as well as the human violence meted out to that gorgeous capital more powerfully than many more exalted documentaries...Though they struggle to build a fan base, and end up seeking refuge in Syria, their dreams persist, still blazing fiercely at the close of this chastening and inspiring film."[https://web.archive.org/web/20090215015717/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/sukhdevsandhu/3560316/Film-reviews-Heavy-Metal-in-Baghdad-and-Ashes-of-Time.html Film reviews: Heavy Metal in Baghdad and Ashes of Time] Daily Telegraph. 11 September 2008 'The Guardian' described the film as "fascinating".[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/sep/12/musicdocumentary1 Heavy Metal in Baghdad] The Guardian. 12 September 2008

References




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