The world’s first-ever film festival dedicated to heavy metal music is set to take place at the Downtown Independent Cinema in Los Angeles, California this coming March 31st through April 3rd.

Organizer and metalhead Samuel Douek is proud to announce the festival’s Nuclear Blast In Cinema Concert Series:

“As part of the world’s first Heavy Metal Film Festival, we’d like to announce our Nuclear Blast Concert Series featuring MESHUGGAH: Alive by Ian McFarland and The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh by IMMORTAL. These two concerts have been captured on DVD and each brings to the screen something magnificent. Alive was made as a film first and as concert second, while The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh brings to life a band that can only be seen on a big screen to understand.”

A Q&A; session with Alive filmmaker Ian McFarland of Killswitch Productions (who created the music video for the Meshuggah song 'Bleed') will follow the screening.

Shot by director/producer Ian McFarland of Killswitch Productions during Meshuggah's 2009 North American tour and at their 2008 performance at the Loudpark Festival in Tokyo, Japan, Alive contains concert footage of selections from the band’s 2008 release, obZen, in addition to their time-tested career staples. Gracefully interlacing the live tracks are behind-the-scenes vignettes shot in black & white that give Alive a concert film feel so unlike many of the live DVDs currently on the market. The result is a visceral, visual abduction into the band’s metric insanity-in-action.

The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh is the first official live DVD in the history of Immortal’s existence. Many remember the shock in 2003 when - thirteen years into their existence – Immortal suddenly announced they would disband. Shot at the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival in Germany when the band headlined the Black Metal Stage in 2007 as their reunion show, The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh features songs that span Immortal’s timeless discography and includes three back-to-back-to-back selections from their most acclaimed release, Sons Of Northern Darkness. The leather and spikes, the “war paint,” the bursting pyrotechnics, the essential anthems, and Abbath’s on-stage acrobatics are all there, along with an audience of 70,000 witnesses to the magic.

Showtime schedule and additional films will be announced soon.

Las Marimbas Del Infierno (Marimbas From Hell) by Julio Hernández Cordón will be opening the festival on Thursday evening, March 31st.

The first portion of the maiden line-up for 2011’s Heavy Metal Film Festival can be viewed at the festival’s official website.

On Thursday, March 10th, advanced tickets to the Heavy Metal Film Festival will be available for purchase via the Downtown Independent Cinema Box Office. Ticket prices will be as follows:

$9.00 per film

$15.00 - Opening Night Screening (includes After-Party)

$33.00 - Day Pass (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)

$66.60 - Advanced Purchase Festival Pass (ONLY 30 available at this SPECIAL PRICE; includes Opening Night)

$99.00 – Advanced Purchase Festival Pass (ONLY 100 available; includes Opening Night)

For more information about volunteering for this event, please write in to heavymetalfilmfestival@gmail.com.

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