Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a documentary feature film that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda (Latin for a deadly black scorpion native to Iraq) from the fall of Saddam Hussein to their escape from Iraq. The band members - Firas (bass), Tony (lead guitar), Marwan (drums) and Faisal (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) - were bred on American heavy metal albums, learning to speak English by listening to Slayer, Metallica and Slipknot. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition, but, after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency.
Directors Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi traveled to Baghdad to find Acrassicauda, Iraq's most famous heavy metal band. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around Acrassicauda while they struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.
SEL#: 670498 SRP: $19.95 RUN TIME: Approximately 88 minutes + Bonus Materials RATING: R for Pervasive Language
FEATURES OVER 90 MINUTES OF BONUS MATERIAL including:
45 Minute Featurette: HEAVY METAL IN ISTANBUL -
the documentary that picks up where Heavy Metal in Baghdad left off
7 Additional & Deleted Scenes: 30 minutes of extra content including extended interviews with the band plus a meeting with the "Iraqi Godfather" in Syria
3 Live Performances: Acrassicauda Live! - Original Acrassicauda songs "Underworld", "King Without A Throne" and "Message From Baghdad" performed
in 2006 and 2008
8 Page Booklet: including the original Vice magazine article "No War For Heavy Metal"
