Event
NYUFF Opening Night: Heavy Metal in Baghdad
"You want to know where we get our inspiration? Take a look around. We're living in a heavy metal world."
Shot from 2003 to 2006 in Iraq and Syria, Heavy Metal in Baghdad follows Acrassicauda, Iraq's only heavy metal band, as they struggle to keep on rocking while their city tumbles further and further into chaos. This film couldn't have come at a better time: as images of Iraq become a lingering white noise to many Americans, Heavy Metal in Baghdad creates a devastating and personal view of the war's consequences.
The first production of VICE Films and VBS.TV, Heavy Metal in Baghdad was inspired by the Vice Magazine article "No War for Heavy Metal" published in January of 2004. Bred on American pop-culture, Acrassicauda (Latin for a type of vicious black scorpion native to the deserts of Iraq) at first seem hopeful that the fall of Saddam Hussein will bring them more freedom to pursue their heavy metal dreams.
A little over a year later, in 2006, as the violence in Iraq is reaching its highest pitch, the filmmakers return to Baghdad. People are reluctant to be seen speaking to Americans, the band's practice space has been destroyed by an errant missile, and, afraid to leave their homes, band members who live in the same neighborhood haven't seen each other in months. The filmmakers make one final visit to the band a year later to find them living as refugees in Damascus where the pain of displacement and bad news from home has taken a heavy toll. While they're still playing music, the optimism of three years prior has turned to dread, and a smoldering anger at the world that surrounds them.
The New York Underground Film Festival is proud to present the New York Premiere of Heavy Metal in Baghdad. The members of Acrassicauda are still living as refugees and need our help, so $1 from every ticket sold to this screening will go to a fund that VICE Films has created for them. For more information or to make a donation please visit http://www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com
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LocationAnthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10021
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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