PRESS  

“This chronicle of the Iraqi rock band Acrassicauda's efforts to play their music in a war-ravaged city brings home the cultural as well as the human violence meted out to that gorgeous capital more powerfully than many more exalted documentaries… 

Acrassicauda deny being political. But their music is genuine rebel rock. A cry of hope as well as a roar of protest. 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.”

Sukhdev Sandhu, The Daily Telegraph

 

Profound, important and touching are not words normally associated with heavy metal…this low-budget film says more about Gulf War II than all of Hollywood’s efforts put together.

4 Stars, The Sun



“Oustandingly fresh perspective on the Iraqi conflict.  Hilarious, thought-provoking and just plain rocking”

4 Stars, Metro



It's smart, perceptive, balefully funny, at once heartbreakingly absurd and weirdly inspiring.

Andrew Mueller, Uncut


“A potent exploration of the meaning and fragility of intellectual freedom and the value of music as a safety valve for youthful rebellion. The anti-fan of metal music scoffs at his peril: the young men depicted in this film are on the front line in the war for freedom of speech. “

Screen International



“As moving and personal an account of life in post-Saddam Iraq as we’ve seen”

The Guardian



“Through intrepid journalism and shrewd editing, the team behind Heavy Metal in Baghdad offer us a rare insight into the day-to-day realities of life for normal civilians caught up in a war zone. It’s a brave and compelling piece of cinema, deserving of attention beyond its niche audience of metal enthusiasts.”

Darren Lee, Orange



“It doesn’t matter what you think of the music—Heavy Metal In Baghdad is a eye-popping insight into the terrifying craziness of living in Iraq… this is a superb piece of work that perfectly captures the mood of a country in absolute bloody chaos.”

4 Stars, New of the World



“Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a disturbing and riveting document of Acrassicaudas’s remarkable drive and courage as well as a touching reminder that music can offer a sanctuary to oppressed people.”

Pamela Jahn, Electric Sheep



Montreal Mirror
June 19, 2008

http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/061908/upfront.html

"genuinely touching, heartbreaking and inspiring story, and one of the most memorable documentaries in recent years."


New York Times
May 23, 2008

http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/movies/23meta.html?ref=arts

“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.”

 

Los Angeles Times
May 23, 2008

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-capsules23-2008may23,0,4883140.story

“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.”

 

New York Post
May 23, 2008

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05232008/entertainment/movies/heavy_metal_in_baghdad_112098.htm

Three Stars (***)

“Just when I thought the war in Iraq had been examined from every possible angle, along comes "Heavy Metal in Baghdad," a fascinating documentary on the country's only heavy metal band, Acrassicauda.”

 

New York Daily News
May 23, 2008

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2008/05/23/

Three stars (***)

“Western metal acts are bound to feel like posers when they see this intense documentary on Acrassicauda”

“…the dangers these musicians experience every single day are bound to impact any audience. This is what it really looks like to bang your head against the wall.”

 

Village Voice
May 23, 2008

http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0821,heavy-metal-in-baghdad,446693,20.html

Tthe movie reclaims metal's appeal to the powerless as well as its threat—when you can get shot for wearing a Slipknot T-shirt…or speaking the English you learned off Master of Puppets, raising those devil horns isn't an empty act of aggression. Given the courageously downbeat closing note, here's hoping a follow-up catches Acrassicauda rockin' the free world.

 

Time Out New York
May 21, 2008

http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/reviews/85521/heavy-metal-in-baghdad.html

Four stars (****)

“There is a genuine poignancy in the way these brash young men find the determination to endure through Slayer and Slipknot. But as a heartbreaking final scene plays out in Damascus, you can only wonder how a gravely wounded people can survive a nation’s demise.”

 

The New York Times
May 22, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/movies/22meta.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin

"Headbangers From Iraq, Thrashing and Waiting"


Radar Magazine Online
"The 84-minute features gives voice to a generation of Iraqi youths who yearn for peace and the freedom to play their music loud." Story


Newsweek
"Whether you love or hate metal, Acrassicauda's struggle to stay together-and alive-will rock you." Story


Lost At Sea
9.2/10 - See this film when you get the chance, visit the film's website, and for the sake of Acrassicauda, the next time you hear some heavy metal crank the volume to 11, throw up the horns and bang your head. Story


New York Sun
"A great parable about rock 'n' roll as an act of brotherhood and faith in collective survival." Story


THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL.COM
"One part political doc, one part music doc, "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" manages to be moving and memorable in a way few films that have taken on the heady subject of the war have managed." Story


CNN covers HMiB: Story


The New Yorker covers HMiB: Story
- "a casual but urgent movie about choices that are entitlements to some but unimaginable luxuries for others."


Robert Christgau on HMiB: Story


DEUTSCHE WELLE, January 13, 2008: Story


TIME OUT ISTANBUL, January 1, 2008: Story


The Toronto-born directors, Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi, strove to articulate the band's "anger and anxiety that the world has turned its back on Iraq," says Moretti, 35…Shot on handheld cameras, accompanied by a heavily armed security crew and with the sounds of artillery and gunfire in the background, Heavy Metal in Baghdad allows the musicians' story to be seen in its larger context… As the situation worsens in Iraq, they flee the country, to Damascus. In total, 2.2 million Iraqis have left the country, and the worsening refugee situation is told through the break-up of the band. "This is one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in the world," says Alvi.

- The Globe and Mail  


...the film's strength lies in its small scope and distinct disinterest in forcing the bigger picture on the viewer—the story of the lives of the Acrassicauda itself works as a perfect microcosm for the struggles of Iraq’s people and is deeply moving and enraging. Importantly, too, the film works as a better explanation of the healing power of heavy metal than the (dire) Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. Heck, it might not only be one of the best films about Iraq but one of the best films about metal.  Period. 4.5/5

- Torontoist.com


Improbably moving, this first feature documentary from the hipster Vice empire is about much more than its title suggests. Yes, it’s about the only metal band in Iraq, a quintet of ambitious, foul-mouthed 20-somethings called Acrassicauda, who learned English from contraband Metallica and Slipknot albums. But it’s also about how thoroughly the war has destroyed the lives of average Iraqis, the overwhelming majority of whom want just a modicum of peace and freedom. At great peril, Suroosh Alvi, Vice magazine co-founder and the film’s co-director, travels deep into Baghdad and Damascus (where the band members eventually become refugees) to observe how these young men struggle to live lives taken for granted by millions of North American headbangers. Marred only by its occasional self-aggrandizement, the film is a refreshing, compassionate and stirring wake-up call—with a killer soundtrack.

- Toronto Life


Documenting the band Acrassicauda in Heavy Metal in Baghdad was a “risky, dangerous, and really fucking stupid” undertaking, according to journalist Suroosh Alvi, and those words are certainly descriptive enough for this film. I was expecting a relatively light-hearted, fun and even novel documentary on the only heavy metal band in Baghdad. And yes, there are more than a few “light” moments, but this is a sober and emotional blow to the head of the reality of what is happening in Iraq as seen through the eyes of people just like me: regular, working class guys who are also passionate about music. And it’s nothing like you’ve ever seen on the news.

- Toronto Screen Shots  


The story of Acrassicauda, latin for "black scorpion," began with the high school friendship of four young men in Iraq whose fascination with American rock music led them to form their own band. Inspired in part by the 1990s Grammy-award winning megaband Metallica, the Iraqi men became famous, and infamous, for daring to infuse their native land with a culturally foreign sound known to Americans as "heavy metal."

The group now lives in Damascus, Syria, where the men are among more than 1.2 million Iraqis seeking refuge from a war-torn nation.

- NPR listen to the interview


I finished viewing the documentry with a heavy feeling, of sadness, but also somewhat inspired by the band members insistence to live their life to the best they can...I've watched many, many videos on Iraq, and the conflict in the area, yet this one really stood out. Maybe it was the filming, maybe it was the change in video type, or maybe it was just how these two guys pulled it together. Whatever it was, they really showed a side of Baghdad that may not get too much play in the mainstream media, as they focused on people, and life there right now. I definitely would recommend this.

- Associated Content  


After New York-based Vice magazine ran an article, just after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, about the only heavy metal band in Iraq, Vice Films decided to try to put the story of Acrassicauda in motion. After false starts trying to get to Baghdad, and after having arranged for a colleague in the Iraqi capital to shoot one concert, codirectors Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi finally made it to Baghdad last year, buttressed by security. By then, only two of the band's original five members were still in Iraq, one having left for Canada and two others for a safer Arabic country.

The film, says Moretti, is about the filmmakers' winding journey to Iraq, about hanging with the remaining players in what proves, literally, to be an explosive place, about the logistical obstacles war zones throw at people who come bearing cameras, and about what happens next in the band's chaotic existence.

- Playback


In Heavy Metal in Baghdad, Vice cofounder Suroosh Alvi re-encounters the displaced Acrassicauda (“black scorpion” in Latin) in Damascus, Syria. They’re easy to relate to: They speak English, dude, and they love Metallica. Guitarist Tony Aziz has mad skillz, too, but woven into their tale are hard-news details about Iraqi refugees and their compatriots back home, vividly demonstrating how this war has forever changed Iraqi lives.

- LA Citybeat  


If a shared love of Black Sabbath can't unite all nations in peace, at least "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" brings us one step closer to understanding our longhaired neighbors to the east. [The film] follows Acrassicauda, a Baghdad-based band formed in the last few years of Saddam's rule. In 2003, just after the U.S. toppled Saddam's regime, Vice interviewed the group, who were then optimistic about living and recording an album in a newly free Iraq. Since that time, as you might imagine, their outlook has changed. … It's like Headbangers Ball and Al-Jazeera all wrapped up in one.

- Vulture/nymag.com


"(Acrassicauda) are captured with warmth and humour" 

- The Globe & Mail


" ...it really strikes a nerve. The conclusion is particularly affecting and will be unforgettable for many people who see it."

- Chud.com


(Heavy Metal In Baghdad) "puts the whole idea of actors taking a ''risk'' with overtly political films seem a bit soft, doesn't it?" 

- Entertainment Weekly.com


"I don't care how tired of Iraq documentaries you think you are-you need to see Heavy Metal in Baghdad.  ...It's the first piece of media I've seen that potentially has the power to break through "Iraq fatigue" and actually get American kids to care about the decimation of Iraq and the ensuing refugee crisis." 

- Spout.com


"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." 

- Toronto Star


"Despite the fact that we've seen a lot of films at the festival after only two days (and are already completely knackered as a result) Heavy Metal in Baghdad is still one of our top films of the festival." 

- Torontoist.com

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