Report: A Metalhead Odyssey In Istanbul
February 25, 2008Nicholas Birch of EurasiaNet reports: On February 12, the day a film in which they starred made its European debut at the Berlin Film Festival, the four members of the Iraqi heavy metal group ACRASSICAUDA were crammed into the only room in their Istanbul apartment that they can afford to heat.
"They left four seats empty for us at the screening," says Marwan Reyad, 23, the band's drummer. "But the German consulate refused us visas."
Instead they watched a DVD of the film that the producers had sent them, and mused on the disparity between their screen fame and their real-life dire circumstances.
"Later that evening I went out to write a blog to our international supporters," remembers Marwan who, like most of the band members, speaks fluent, expletive-rich American English. "I was imagining like red carpets, lights, limousines, all those famous faces … And I'm down here writing, 'yeah, we love you.' Weird."
Read the entire article at EurasiaNet.
According to the Toronto Star, "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" tells the story of ACRASSICAUDA (translated from Arabic, it means "The Black Scorpion"),which is said to be Iraq's only heavy metal band. First covered in an article in Vice magazine, it was then made into a five-part short series that appeared last year on their web video offshoot, VBS.tv.
But with all the footage collected over the years, Vice decided the band could become the subject of the company's first full-length feature. The film tells the band's harrowing and touching story with humour and empathy. The handheld camera-shot documentary helps to humanize the Iraqi conflict.
"Heavy Metal In Baghdad" theatrical trailer:
Prev 
Comments Disclaimer And Information