Public Story
Hellbangers
For 60 years, Botswana has stood as a peaceful nation in a turbulent continent.
The Batswana have enjoyed freedom of expression, life, loves and passions, and
among these a fervent heavy metal scene has grown nationwide.
Hellbangers makes a mockery of all the stereotypes ascribed to Africa.
It is a story of passion, positivity andtogetherness through a music scene which is never less than loud, colorful and joyful.
Hellbangers follows Batswana heavy metal lovers from all over the country as they prepare to converge onto Ghanzi for the annual Winter Mania metal festival put on by the community leader, ex-police chief, bass-raging warrior and talisman, Vulture, from the extreme metal band Overthrust.
Containing footage and photographs of all the various Botswana metal families, supported by 30 in-depth interviews with characters ranging from Vulture to charismatic Charles Bronson-loving “cowboy" The Undertaker, and culminating in the metal madness of the Winter Mania show,
Hellbangers is the story of people coming together and becoming who they really want to be rather than what the world believes they are.
Hellbangers smashes the myths and cliches of Africa only being a continent containing war, poverty and strife, instead showing that heavy metal brother -and sister- hood thrives with life and passion in the African continent.
Hellbangers stands as a timeless statement on the positive power of music and peace when the two are allowed to flourish side-by-side.
Hellbangers is about peace and community at it’s most colourful, extreme and fervent best,
smashing cliches and building new legends to be explored further within a continent -and country- so often misjudged.
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