Heavy Metal in Baghdad

Synopsis

Acrassicauda hold the unique position of being their country’s only heavy metal band. They have a small but committed following, whose hopes and dreams they represent, but when you’re home country is Iraq and city of residence Baghdad, figuring out where your next gig will be might be the least of your worries.

In 2006, at the height of the insurgence against American forces and their allies, filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi travelled to Baghdad to film the band. The resulting film is a record of the fear felt by a generation who are ‘living in a heavy-metal world’. More than a simple profile of the group, the film becomes a powerful portrait of life in the shattered city.

One of the most acclaimed films to deal with the situation in Iraq since 2003, HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is also unique for its focus on the younger generation of Iraqi’s and how their hopes of a peaceful future are shattered amid the chaos of warring factions and an occupying force that appears as confused as everyone else.

“Viewing an unwieldy topic through a narrow prism almost always yields greater insights than a sprawling overview, and prisms don't get much narrower than the slant of Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi’s arresting doc.” — – Jim Ridley, Village Voice

“Iraq documentary fatigue gets a rock-hard slap in the face with Heavy Metal in Baghdad, an intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage.” — – Nathan Lee, The New York Times