Roy Dipankar’s Indian/Czech Death. Karma. Moksha “focuses on Czech musician Vladimír Pavelka: his personal life story, his artistic works, and how he divides his time between the Czech Republic and nursing his ailing grandmother of 90 years in Slovakia, behind-the-mask human interactions, childhood memories and a hint of necrophilia. The film is a fresh take on subculture, travel, spirituality, artistic explorations, and a curious look into what makes us human,” according to the project description. more
Chaired by Lucia Udvardyova (Slovakia), WOMEX; with Jasmine Stein (Germany); Chiara Baima Poma (Italy/Spain) and Pavan Kakarla AKA Skanking Star (India/UK), Monkey Sound System. “Communities around the world are the fertile grounds for musical creations, nurturing musicians and scenes and encouraging the birth of new musical styles and sounds. The safety net of a musical community can be seen as an antithesis of the emphasis of individualism driven by capitalism.”more
Image: Carl Meer
“In the region’s rural villages, ceremonial competitions have birthed an ear-splitting sub-genre of bass-heavy music. Arielle Domb visited the operators behind the vibrant scene. ‘If the opposing party is putting up a wall of sound, then you [fight back with] something higher. The bass is cranked up all the way so that it can be heard, the earth can shake and more houses feel it’, says Roy”.…more
Image: Sascha Markus
“An attempt to help steer our minds along potential trajectories of new cultural production, we could just as easily use alternating (although not interchangeable) terms like infra-music, ultra-music, or even unsound – defined by Steve Goodman in Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect and the Ecology of Fear as “sounds not yet heard”, reports the UK based artist-researcher duo Y7.…more
“The 8th Global Reggae Conference provided a sharing of research results for the entire day of SSO#10 Frames and Frequencies Film Festival with no less than fifteen SST-commissioned and other films screened.
The other opportunity was for SST team members from around the world to meet up with each other in person – many for the first time. For anyone with an interest in sound system technologies and cultures, Jamaica remains the Mecca; so, it is no surprise that they all committed to be part of this conference – many travelling to the island for the first time. ..”…more
“In this post, Dakta Dub, with inputs from Roy Dipankar, takes us through the idiosyncrasies of Indian bureaucracy and cultural spheres that they navigated prior to their sound system launch, and lessons to take into the future of sound system culture in India..”…more
“Directed by Chennai-based filmmaker Roy Dipankar – who previously released the acclaimed documentary Extreme Nation about metal in the subcontinent – the band are also seen performing in a slaughterhouse-like setting, complete with blood-soaked curtains. The band says in a statement, “The song talks about the various ways in which our country’s people are segregated and the oppression they endure to even survive.” …more
“The accompanying music video aptly mirrors the song’s thematic exploration, capturing the strife and divisions entrenched in India’s social fabric, spanning caste, religion, race, and more. The music video is directed by Roy Dipankar (Royville Productions) who is widely known for his award-winning Extreme Nation, a film about the subcontinent’s extreme underground music and socio-political conditions.”…more
Best heavy metal doc ever made. A kaleidoscopic collection of interviews from a panoply of people involved in the metal scene in Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent. Having been involved in extreme and underground music scenes for most of my life, I certainly see visions of memories in the faces and words of these young men, most of whom are quite compassionate and articulate.
Really a must see…more
★★★ Review by: Jason Knight
The film does an effective job in presenting the level that this music has reached in these countries and it appears that it has gained many devoted followers. The performers and promoters come across as likeable and intelligent individuals. The film also provides an insight into life in those countries, by addressing their religions and politics. narratives.…more
“In India people know this subculture as a certain class. You belong to the underbelly of society, the freaks,” Abhay Singh, a lifelong metal fan and exec producer of the captivating and award-winning new documentary Extreme Nation, tells i-D. The film explores the metal and extreme music scenes of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; examining what it means to be part of such a unique underground subculture in the volatile Indian subcontinent. “I’m glad that people in Europe and other parts of the world are digging this shit,” he says. “They can relate to people that are distant from themselves geographically, but share the same sentiment.” …more
A new documentary exploring metal in the Indian subcontinent is shinning a light on one of the world’s biggest underground scenes …more
Extreme Nation offers a fascinating snapshot into extreme metal subculture, and it is a documentary recommended for metal fans and music lovers in general to watch. It was great to see a counterculture that creates a sense of community beyond borders and away from the political uncertainty. …more
See You on the Other Side (2021), a nine-minute film on Disney+ Hotstar, reveals the sharp vicissitudes of life under a crushing pandemic. Directed by Roy Dipankar, the film shows how a global disaster tests friendships and stretches emotional bonds. It is representative of the spilling short format films on OTT platforms that thrive on sharp narratives.…more
Chennai filmmaker’s latest work explores the metal community in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka: the voices, the language and the defiance …more
Roy Dipankar’s critically acclaimed film Extreme Nation isn’t just about heavy metal music. As a note from Roy puts it, ‘It’s a film about nations. It’s a film about dark music.’ You’d do well to strap in, and expect repeat mentions of terms related to extreme music — such as, ‘power electronics’, ‘the occult’ and ‘new wave nationalism’, not to forget political ideology, abrasive and shock-inflicting music, imagery and art. Here’s the complete interview …more
“Such great news for our friend who tirelessly put together one of the best metal documentaries chronicling the scene in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan). Today he’s announced that the UK’s first on-demand streaming platform, Doc’n Roll TV, has added his documentary, Extreme Nation, to their collection!”…more
“Metal is very aggressive, it’s not a subtle subculture,” says Roy Dipankar, filmmaker and director of Extreme Nation, a documentary of heavy metal subculture across the subcontinent. “It could be one intimidating factor, not just for women but also for men and boys.”…more
Ou comment, loin de nos démonstrations capillaires ou pyrotechniques, le metal indien est devenu un outil de contestation politique …more
New anthology project brings filmmakers from across the country together to tell stories, while adhering to physical distancing. Sounds of Silence (directed by Himanshi Handa), Coma (Yash Bandi), Firaaq (Amberee Pitamber), Greeny-Tales (Aakar Kaushik), See You On The Other Side (Roy Dipankar), Bichaari Chidiyaan (Ida Ali), Doori (Terence Hari Fernandes), Desafio – A Challenge (Sayak Bhattacharya) and Full Stop (Cynthia Roli Gupta) are the other films in Vol. 1 of The Lockdown Shorts …more
…guested article as a Research Associate with Sonic Street Technologies (SST), featuring Dakta Dub and Monkey Soundsystem. SST is a European Research Council (ERC) funded research project (2021– ’25) that aims to map the distribution and history of these music technologies worldwide; to investigate the social, economic and cultural conditions from which they are born; and to achieve a deeper understanding of the nature of technology itself and its uses for social and economic progress. The project builds on the work of the Sound System Outernational core research group at Goldsmiths, University of London. …more
Through extensive travels across countries over five years, city-based Roy Dipankar has documented the underground music scene in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in his film, ‘Extreme Nation’ …more
“The film is not just for heavy metal fans. It is about nations and the socio-political ties that India has with its neighbouring countries and is a story of the people from the region” …more
Featuring clever editing that include cats and a beach visit, Doha-based, India-bred DJ-producer GoodMostlyBad aka Gurmehar Bedi’s new video for the vulnerable yet empowering song “Baby” was captured over “a million Zoom calls” with Chennai-based filmmaker Roy Dipankar …more
Hyderabad-based Bala Subramanyam Swayampakula aka Dakta Dub has been leading his own revolution over the past years, attempting to transform the musical landscape of his city with radio shows and his ‘Bass Sanskriti’ events …more
Roy Dipankar, who has worked in the music industry for more than a decade, says, “Programming involved creating a mood graph mapped across 12-plus hours of music each day from artist to artist. It will be interesting to observe how the crowd reacts to interactive sets and genre bending performances woven into the lineup.” …more
A common passion binds a group of young men separated by borders but united by a shared geographical history – the world of extreme underground metal. Roy Dipankar’s still-in-progress documentary film Extreme Nation looks at a subset of headbangers from across the subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal …more
“In a world where the pious reign… and given what they do, I would rather be a blasphemer,” says Anton Dhar, metal musician from Bangladesh. In Pakistan, inspired by leftist poet Habib Jalib, Hassan Amin sings, ‘Pakistan ka matllab kya, main nahin janta main nahin manta (What is the meaning of Pakistan; I don’t know, I don’t believe’)’ …more
Woah…2015 is nearly over but THIS is making me want 2016 to hurry the fuck up and get here already! A documentary about the Indian metal scene has just released a trailer that is worth you stopping whatever the fuck you’re doing right now to check out below. The trailer includes conversations about Pakistan and Bangladesh as well so it looks like it’s more a South Asian perspective on metal …more
Chennai-based filmmaker and music industry professional Roy Dipankar has been working on a documentary about the South East Asian underground metal scene for a few years now. Technical snags and funding issues weighing down, the filmmaker has turned to …more
Last year, we saw some gritty, entertaining and eye-opening real-life stories come to the fore. These movies crowdfunded their budgets on Wishberry and collected over Rs. 50 Lakhs from 400+ people proving that crowdfunding and documentaries are a winning combination. Here’s a low-down on the most-liked, crowdfunded documentaries of 2017 …more
From the conflicts of middle class India and the criminal justice system in India to the application of block chain in art and future of 3D technology, the Goa Project kicked off at Panjim with interesting sessions and conversations across tracks …more
