Three young Norwegian women form a group and found the black metal band Witch Club Devil. They don’t know how to play music, but they paint faces and hold instruments, and soon they are playing at major international festivals. But the battle has only just begun.
No, this was not the pitch for a feature film. It’s the true story of Nicoline, Victoria and Johanna, told in the feature-length documentary by director and cinematographer Maja Holland. hexwhich celebrates its international premiere at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival on Friday and will next screen at CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival.
In Norway’s male-dominated black metal scene, both new and female stars face criticism, opposition and other challenges, as press notes highlight. But by trying to tap into the power of witches, they scream and scream like hell to shake up the world by making noise and demonstrating their raw and often hidden power as women.
Cat&Docs handles sales hexproduced by Marie Nielsen Neira and edited by Holland and Hilde Björnstad. The music, of course, is all courtesy of Witch Club Devil.
Check out the exclusive first look hex here.
Holland spoke to THR About how she decided to embark on a road trip to make the film, the theme of fighting strict societal norms, and what makes a witch a witch.
Thank you for showing me a scene I didn’t know. When and how did you become aware of Witch Club Devil, and why did you want to make a film about the band?
As a new mother of three, during a time when I felt like I might have to give up on being a filmmaker and the world seemed to be collapsing around me, I walked away feeling completely dead inside. Then the band showed up, and I was immediately captivated by their project. They wanted to wake up from the numbness they felt, which is something I relate to deeply. They were going to learn to play musical instruments and knew they would never be “good enough” before going on stage. They called themselves wizards, and their world was bloody, primitive, and bleak.
I had a strong feeling that this extreme ride was the perfect movie. I first sent them an email just to make sure someone was making a film about their journey. And if not, well, I was a cinematographer. It was very much like a director’s instinct. I’m actually a cinematographer and I didn’t plan on becoming a director. But that’s how it had to be, once they felt comfortable having me around.
I loved showing us their development as a band and their rise to fame, but also their ways of finding their personal magic and following personal paths. How early did you know that you wanted to highlight personal journeys alongside the band’s collective journey?
I feel like a good documentary is about the characters’ journeys, so that quickly became a goal — especially when I realized how different they were and how different they were coming into the project. This was also a very personal project for them, about changing themselves, so it seemed natural from the beginning. But it took some time to find the direction of each individual flight. I’ve always thought of the band’s evolution as the outer framework of the film.
How important was the theme of breaking out of strict societal norms for you when participating in the film? What other topics can you explore through it? hex Who spoke to you?
It became clear very early on that this topic was pivotal because it had been important to magicians from the beginning. I really liked diving into the historical witch trials, especially when I realized how little I actually knew about this history. I mostly associated the word “witch” as an insult. I did a lot of research into the magic for this movie, and I still wanted to learn more.
How would you describe what a witch is or what magic is?
For me now, being a witch is an honorary title – it means that you have the strength and courage to really feel and live who you really are.
When did you decide to use the fascinating witch trial/courtroom approach, and how did you come up with the idea?
I struggled for a long time with how, cinematically and visually, I could include all the resistance and social media commentary without just putting text bubbles on the screen. Then suddenly it came to me like a bolt of lightning while I was running outside. What if you staged a modern-day witch trial where the Devil’s Witch Club is on trial, and the judge could read the accusations out loud?
From there the idea developed further, and I dared to start calling to find real witnesses who could physically come and tell them what they meant. It also solved several structural challenges – the judge was able to quickly explain the complex events in the film. Instead of traveling to interview people about them, I can bring everyone together.
I also think it creates a strong parallel between how we judge witches today and how they were judged in the past. But it seemed risky, and for a long time I wasn’t sure it would actually work in the movie.
The film highlights the themes of the band members unleashing their raw feminine power and also breaking into the male-dominated apocalyptic black metal scene. Do you consider the film a feminist film or are you a feminist filmmaker?
Witch Club Devil explicitly describes itself as a feminist project. They called themselves a feminist black metal band and entered a very male-dominated genre. Sometimes I recognize aspects of that in myself – but not so much – as a cinematographer. Since I work with Herstory, which aims to promote female perspectives in cinema because the industry is still very skewed, I consider myself a feminist filmmaker.
What’s next for you?
For now, we want the film to travel and be seen by those who want to dive into the world of Witch Club Devil. Fans of the band, the music scene, magicians everywhere and beyond. Professionally, I can imagine stepping back a bit and working more in shorter formats like music videos and short films and working again as a cinematographer alongside directors for a while. Directing takes a lot from me. But I hope my strong cinematic intuition will return soon.
