Private Project

Songs of Injustice: Heavy Metal Music in Latin America

Experience Latin America through heavy metal music. In this documentary film a team of researchers, led by Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz (Florida International University), examines the social contexts that influenced the emergence and permanence of heavy metal music in Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Peru. Colonialism, dictatorships, terrorism, and neoliberal exploitation serve as points of reference for this musical movement. The team explores how heavy metal in the region has been directly linked to each country's social and political context, while addressing issues of social justice and solidarity in their lyrics. This is the third documentary from the team that brought you the award winning films "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" and "The Metal Islands: Culture, History and Politics in Caribbean Heavy Metal Music."

  • Nelson Varas-Díaz
    Director
  • Nelson Varas-Díaz
    Producer
  • Nelson Varas-Díaz
    Editor
  • Eliut Rivera-Segarra
    Associate Producers
  • Sigrid Mendoza
    Associate Producers
  • Xaymara Díaz
    Associate Producers
  • Carlos Vélez
    Associate Producers
  • Eric Morales
    Associate Producers
  • Rafael Bracero
    Associate Producers
  • James Morell Fausto
    Associate Producers
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 36 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Nelson Varas-Díaz

Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz is a Professor of social-community psychology at Florida International University’s Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies. He produced the award winning documentaries “The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico” and “The Metal Islands: Culture, History and Politics in Caribbean Metal Music”. He also directed the film "Songs of Injustice: Heavy Metal Music in Latin America." Together, his films have garnered 84 sets of laurels in international film festivals. He currently directs the “Heavy Metal Studies – Latin America” group which researches metal in Central and South America. His work related to metal music addresses issues of community formation, linkages between culture and music, and metal music as a decolonial strategy in Latin America. His work has been published in multiple journals, including Metal Music Studies, International Journal of Community Music, and the Journal of Community Psychology, among others. He coedited the books “Heavy Metal Music and the Communal Experience,” "Heavy Metal Music in Argentina: In Black We Are Seen," and "Heavy Metal Music in Latin America: Perspectives from the Distorted South." He also authored the book "Decolonial Metal Music in Latin America."

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