The Ballad of Judas Priest will premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, running from February 12 to February 22. Banger Films announced the screening, with Sony Music Vision handling the presentation and distribution. This documentary offers an intimate and uncensored look at the band’s 50-year journey and their impact on metal culture. Sam Dunn and Tom Morello co-directed the film. Dunn is known for his documentaries on Iron Maiden and Rush.
Dunn shared his excitement on Facebook, saying, “Super proud to announce that our Judas Priest doc ‘The Ballad Of Judas Priest’ will premiere at Berlinale this February. Beyond excited for all our German metalheads to get the first look.”
Judas Priest started in Birmingham and played a key role in shaping the heavy metal genre in the 1970s. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Their upcoming album, Invincible Shield, makes them the first heavy metal band to release studio albums 50 years apart. This record has also earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance, with sales exceeding 50 million records across 19 studio albums.
The band stated, “We have lived and breathed metal for over five decades, and finally in this documentary we are summoning our congregation to officially witness our lives uncensored, in a never-before-seen way.” The directors emphasized that the film reveals how the band influenced both the sound and style of metal music.
Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn produced the documentary, with Tom Morello, Rick Krim, Sheila Stepanek, and Jayne Andrews as executive producers. Sony Music Vision will distribute the film. The Berlin International Film Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, making it a perfect venue for this exciting premiere.
