Hessler Featured In New Documentary ‘The Last Kamikazis Of Heavy Metal’
Hessler Featured In New Documentary ‘The Last Kamikazis Of Heavy Metal’
December 30, 2014
After being screened at numerous film festivals around the world (including the United States, Colombia and Argentina) throughout 2014, the Hessler documentary ‘The Last Kamikazis Of Heavy Metal’ was released on December 22, 2014 via Vimeo On Demand for the purchase price of $9.99 or as a 24 hour rental for $3.99.
Filmmakers Marina and Bilana Grozdanova recently discussed ‘The Last Kamikazis Of Heavy Metal’ with Sleaze Roxx, including how the idea for the documentary came about and why they featured the band Hessler. “As El Jinete Films, we have been traveling around the world since we can remember. We studied film in Spain and Chicago, and rock n’ roll has always been our passion. So, we decided to marry film and music and focus on the music documentary as an art form. While in Chicago, we dived headfirst into the music and Hessler was the leather-clad dynamic quintet that struck our chord. Particularly, it was at an epic House of Blues show where they blew us away, and after which we instantaneously became friends. As we got to know them, we realized there was an intriguing story to tell.”
“The idea was conceived at the end of 2011, filming began in the spring 2012, and intensely from the fall of 2012 through summer 2013,” continued the foudners of El Jinete Films. “We toured from Chicago to Los Angeles and back, and then did SXSW 2013, the south and the east coast. It was quite the adventure.”
Not surprisingly, putting the film together was one huge undertaking as the Grozdanova sisters pointed out. “Post production spanned from the fall of 2013 through spring 2014. We had over 500 hours of footage; each of us focused on a tour and specific interviews and tension points. Because we were filming together and knew everything that had occurred on the road, it was a very logical way of editing and then we collaged it all together.”
In terms of Hessler’s input into the documentary, the Grozdanova siblings state, “Hessler was very supportive of the filming from the very beginning, and they were very open to being on camera. They willingly revealed secrets, confessions… trusting us that we would use them wisely. As the filmmaking process and the friendship evolved very naturally, there were no major collisions when the band viewed the final product. We found a way to be respectful and tell the truth.”
Prior to being released on Vimeo, ‘The Last Kamikazis Of Heavy Metal’ was screened at a number of film festivals. The Grozdanova sisters recalled the highlights in that regard. “The highlights of the film festival circuit have been many. We premiered in Austin at the RXSM film festival, where we were in attendance and won the Jury Choice Award for Best Documentary. Following came the hometown premiere number one at the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival, where the filmmakers and the band reunited for the screening. The hometown premiere number two was at the 25th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, where El Jinete Films is currently based. Additionally, we have screened in Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, and internationally in Colombia and Argentina.”
In terms of the highlight of doing the documentary for each sister, Marina Grozdanova indicated, “Being able to craft a story out of the present, molding a film out of a continuously evolving narrative. Makes you feel quite alive, to say the least, not knowing what will happen next…” while Bilana advised, “Simply put, we followed through with a seemingly crazy idea from A – Z, saw the country and learned a whole lot about filmmaking, friendship, and the sacrifices you have to make in the name of pursuing your dreams.”
The Last Kamikazis Of Heavy Metal” is now available through Vimeo On Demand at vimeo.com/ondemand/kamikazis.
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com