AllMovie

Filmmaker Suroosh Alvi had many stories to tell before he stepped behind the camera to become a professional in his field. Having studied philosophy at McGill University, taught English in Slovakia, worked for a record label in Minneapolis, and worked on the railroad in Western Canada, Alvi was busy getting his master's in psychology when he opted for yet another change of pace and moved to Montreal, where he would found and operate VICE Publishing. Over the coming decades, VICE would become one of the world's most prominent voices in independent media, distributing music and print to over 22 nations. In 2008, Alvi tried his hand at a new medium, making his directorial debut with Heavy Metal in Bagdad, a feature-length documentary following Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda on a strange, beautiful, and heartbreaking tour of their war-torn country.