Full Metal Village

Every year, approximately 40,000 heavy metal enthusiasts descend upon the sleepy Schleswig-Holstein village of Wacken - population 1,800 - for The Wacken Open Air festival - one of the biggest heavy metal concerts on the planet. While most would suspect that the peace-loving locals might be extremely upset by the flood of unsightly Cannibal Corpse and Death Angel fans who have been crowding into the town every summer since 1990, South Korean filmmaker Cho Sung-Hyung paints a much different picture. Filmed in the tradition of a German heimat or homeland film, Heavy Metal Village highlights the manner in which the tolerant citizens of Wacken have actually come to embrace the rebellious music fans who put this quaint, north German town on the map despite the annual havoc it wrecks on their tranquil routine.