Do not miss this special screening of Yichang Cinema Salon in presence of the director, before she and the band fly to Germany where the band will perform at Wacken (one of the largest metal music festivals in the world). The documentary is 30min long and will be followed by a Q&A with Zhao Renxiu.

The screening is free but we ask that people RSVP so we can organize the venue: contact us either through the official Yichang wechat account (see picture) or by email through yc523(AT)foxmail.com .

Slumdog Metal: Cambodian Street Kids Scream For Their Lives (A documentary about Cambodian Metal band "Doch Chkae")

Doch Chkae means "like a dog" in Khmer. It’s also the name of the death metal band founded by two orphans born in the slums of Phnom Penh.

Theara, the lead singer of Doch Chkae grew up together with the guitarist Vichey. They ate and drank and slept in these garbage-covered slums. Theara and Vichey dropped out of school when they were 9 years old. They drove garbage trucks around the city and made a living picking up waste.

Thanks to the involvement of the international NGO “Mom Against Poverty”, Theara and Vichey were able to continue their studies and no longer had to worry about making a living. However, by the time they hit puberty, they became more and more trouble and became a liability for their teachers.

Timon Seibel, the manager of the NGO, sometimes goes to rock venues in Phnom Penh. Once after watching a death metal show, Timon suddenly had an idea – ‘Why not introduce extreme metal music to Theara and Vichey?’ So Timon brought Theara and Vichey to a death metal show. The screaming and the fierce mosh pits stunned and completely overwhelmed them.

Then Theara and Vichey locked themselves in the music room, rehearsed and wrote songs crazily. The anger in their heart was venting in the screaming and drums. After more than one year of rehearsals, Doch chkae officially entered the underground music scene in Phnom Penh and quickly gained a place and garnered die hard fans.

Their lyrics are always related to dogs, just like their band name - Doch chkae. They use music to describe their lives as dogs.

Director: Zhao Renxiu（赵人秀）

Producers: Zhao Renxiu

Fabian Peltsch

Ale Amazonia

William Griffith

Executive Producer: Jane Peng(彭珍妮)

Presented by: Subtropical Asia

More stories about subcultural and creative community across Asia, check:

http://subtropicalasia.com/