A documentary about Eagles of Death Metal, the band whose show at the Bataclan became the site of the deadliest attack in Islamic State’s (Isis) assault on Paris on 13 November, has been pulled from International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.
The Redemption of the Devil follows frontman Jesse Hughes as he turns 40, becomes ordained as a minister and gears up for the release of his new album, Zipper Down. Screenings of the film have been cancelled because the timing felt inappropriate, according to the BBC. While the film does not cover the Bataclan attack, the trailer shows Hughes reflecting on a “good night, [where] nobody died” and aiming a gun at a friend.
Hughes and his bandmates were an hour into their Bataclan concert when three gunmen ran into the venue and began firing at the crowd at 9:49pm on Friday 13 November. In an interview with Vice Hughes described how some concert-goers ran into the band’s dressing room once the shooting started.
“The killers were able to get in and killed every one of them, except for a kid who was hiding under my leather jacket,” he said. “People were playing dead, and they were so scared”.
The attack on the Bataclan resulted in 89 deaths. The band were unharmed, but their merchandise manager, Nick Alexander, was killed, as were as three representatives from their record label. Across Paris 130 people were killed in a series of bombings and shootings targeting bars, restaurants and the Stade de France.
The Redemption of the Devil is directed by Alex Hoffman, an executive producer and head of music at Vice, as well as a long-term friend of the band. He founded Vice’s music TV channel, Noisey, on which Hughes once hosted a video series.
“In shock at the reports coming from the Eagles of Death Metal show in Paris,” wrote Hoffman when news of the Paris attacks broke. “Thinking of my dear friends in the band and their crew.”
