Oscilloscope Laboratories presents SIRENS, shot and directed by LA-based filmmaker Rita Baghdadi. Boasting Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph among its executive producers, SIRENS follows the Middle East’s first all-female metal band as they wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.
The film received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and will open in New York (Angelika Film Center) on Sept. 30 and Los Angeles (Laemmle Royal) on Oct. 7 with other cities to follow. Watch the official trailer here:
On the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and her bandmates, Shery, Maya, Alma and Tatyana (Slave to Sirens), have big dreams but few opportunities. When the band’s appearance at a UK music festival isn’t the life-changer they had hoped for, Lilas comes home to Lebanon on the brink of collapse. At the same time, the complicated relationship between Lilas and her fellow guitarist Shery starts to fracture. The future of her band, her country and her dreams now all at stake, Lilas faces a crossroad. She must decide what kind of leader she will be, not only for her band, but also as a young woman struggling to define herself in Lebanon, a country as complex as each of the Sirens themselves.
“A roof-raising rock-doc with heart to match its decibels.”
– Neil Young, Screen International
“[A] dynamic new documentary… An engrossing and humanizing narrative.
With the band’s headstrong co-founders leading their tale, Sirens is a
powerful reminder that punk isn’t dead if you know where to look.”
– Jude Dry, IndieWire
“Sirens is a smartly crafted, hugely entertaining look at the band as it goes through
growing pains, fights for bookings, and navigates inter-band dyke drama.”
– Shayna Maci Warner, Paste
