‘Hex’ Appeal: Doc Brings the Noise, Following the Rise of Female Black Metal Band Witch Club Satan
#Hex documentary #Witch Club Satan #black metal #female musicians #Maja Holand #Thessaloniki Documentary Festival #feminist film #Norwegian cinema
📌 Key Takeaways
- Director Maja Holand's documentary 'Hex' premieres at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
- Film follows three Norwegian women forming black metal band Witch Club Satan without musical experience
- Band faces challenges in male-dominated black metal scene while embracing feminist identity
- Creative witch trial courtroom setup draws parallels between historical and contemporary judgment of women
📖 Full Retelling
Norwegian director and cinematographer Maja Holand's documentary 'Hex' receives its international premiere at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival this Friday before traveling to Copenhagen's CPH:DOX, chronicling the real-life journey of three Norwegian women who formed the black metal band Witch Club Satan despite lacking musical experience. The film follows Nikoline, Victoria, and Johanna as they transform from complete novices into festival headliners, painting their faces and grabbing instruments to unleash their raw female power in a notoriously male-dominated and macabre music scene. The documentary not only captures their musical evolution but also delves into their personal journeys as they discover their inner 'witches' and challenge strict societal norms through their art. Holand, who was initially captivated by the band's project during a challenging period in her own life as a new mother, felt an immediate connection to their mission to awaken from numbness and express themselves authentically in a world that often tries to silence women's voices. The film creatively incorporates a modern witch trial courtroom setup where the band members face accusations and criticism, drawing powerful parallels between historical witch trials and contemporary judgment of women who defy expectations. Produced by Mari Nilsen Neira and edited by Holand and Hilde Bjørnstad, 'Hex' explores themes of feminism, female empowerment, and the reclaiming of the term 'witch' as an honorary title for those with the courage to live authentically. The documentary highlights how Witch Club Satan explicitly positioned themselves as a feminist project in a genre traditionally dominated by men, facing criticism and opposition while building their unique sound and following.
🏷️ Themes
Feminism, Music Documentary, Female Empowerment, Societal Norms
📚 Related People & Topics
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Annual international documentary festival held in Thessaloniki, Greece
The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TDF; Greek: Φεστιβάλ Ντοκιμαντέρ Θεσσαλονίκης, romanized: Festivál Ntokimantér Thessaloníkis) is an international documentary festival held every March in Thessaloniki, Greece. TDF, founded in 1999, features competition sections and ranks among the world's lead...
Entity Intersection Graph
Connections for Thessaloniki Documentary Festival:
View full profileMentioned Entities
Original Source
Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Three young Norwegian women form a coven and start the black metal band Witch Club Satan. They don’t know how to play music, but they paint their faces and grab instruments, and before long, they are playing at major international festivals. But the battle has only just begun. No, that wasn’t the pitch for a fiction feature film. It is the real-life story of Nikoline, Victoria, and Johanna, which director and cinematographer Maja Holand tells us in the feature documentary Hex , which celebrates its international premiere at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival on Friday and next hits CPH:DOX , the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival . Related Stories Movies Peter Jackson to Receive Honorary Cannes Palme d'Or Movies How, With 'Everybody Digs Bill Evans,' Grant Gee Turned the Music Biopic Inside Out In Norway’s macabre, male-dominated black metal scene, the new female, and feminist, stars face criticism, opposition and other challenges, press notes highlight. But by trying to tap into witches’ power, they scream and shout like hell to shake up the world by bringing the noise and show their raw and often hidden powers as women. Cat&Docs is handling sales on Hex , which was produced by Mari Nilsen Neira and edited by Holand and Hilde Bjørnstad. The music is, of course, all courtesy of Witch Club Satan. Check out an exclusive first look at Hex here. Holand talked to THR about how she decided to embark on a wild journey to make the film, the theme of fighting strict societal norms, and what makes a witch a witch. Thank you for showing me a scene that I didn’t know about. When and how did you find out about Witch Club Satan, and why did you want to make a film about the band? As a new mother of three, during a period when I ...
Read full article at source