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Home , Heavy Metal in Baghdad, Suroosh Alvi, Vice Media

VICE FOUNDER RETURNS TO IN A FEATURE-LENGTH SPECIAL REPORT

Suroosh Alvi takes viewers on an unforgettable journey through the Islamic ​ Republic on the brink of its biggest upheaval for 40 years

‘The VICE Guide to Iran’ premieres Wednesday April 15, 3PM ET on VICE’s YouTube channel

Credit: Jake Burghart / VICE

BROOKLYN, NY (April 15, 2020) Today - VICE announced the premiere of The ​ ​ VICE Guide to Iran, a feature-length documentary that takes a visceral and ​ wide-ranging look at life in one of the world’s most politically and socially complex countries.

Over the past weeks and months, Iran has descended into chaos. From the downing of a passenger jet, to the assasination of a top general, and now one of the world's largest Coronavirus outbreaks, life in the Islamic Republic is facing its toughest challenges since it was founded in 1979.

Hosted by VICE founder Suroosh Alvi, the standalone special offers an indelible ​ ​ ​ ​ account of Iranian society, from hipsters to hostage takers, and from top lawmakers to one of the country’s heaviest metal bands. With exclusive access to militant leaders, Iran's tourist hotspots, and the old US embassy in downtown Tehran, The ​ VICE Guide to Iran is an intimate portrait of a nation on the brink. ​

ABOUT SUROOSH ALVI Suroosh Alvi is a co-founder of Group, a critically acclaimed journalist, and producer. As a journalist, Alvi has reported from all over the world including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Saudi Arabia, , Rwanda, and the . He was a regular host of the Emmy award-winning VICE on HBO show and is ​ ​ a contributor to . In 2017, Alvi also produced and hosted Terror, a five-part series examining terrorism in radical Islamic groups throughout the world today. For the series, Alvi reported on the ground from , , , , and , and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best News or Information Program in 2018. Alvi's film credits include the documentary Heavy Metal in which he co-directed and executive produced. The film, which followed an Iraqi metal band for the years after 's fall from power in 2003, was an official selection at the and Berlin Film Festivals and was named Best Documentary at the Warsaw Film Festival. Most recently, Alvi was an executive producer on the feature film Mogul Mowgli, directed by Bassam Tariq and starring Riz Ahmed. The film premiered in the Panorama strand at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize.

Prior to founding VICE, Alvi attended college at McGill University in , where he studied Philosophy, then went on to drop out of grad school. He currently resides in with his wife and son.

ABOUT VICE MEDIA GROUP VICE Media Group is the world’s largest independent youth media company. Launched in 1994, VICE has offices in 35 cities across the globe with a focus on five key businesses: VICE.com, an award-winning international network of digital content; VICE STUDIOS, a feature film and television production studio; VICE TV, an Emmy-winning international television network; a Peabody award-winning NEWS division with the most Emmy-awarded nightly news broadcast; and VIRTUE, a global, full-service creative agency with 25 offices around the world. VICE Media Group’s portfolio includes , the leading global media and entertainment ​ ​ company focused on women; PULSE Films, a London-based next-generation ​ ​ production studio with outposts in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Berlin; i-D, a ​ ​ global digital and bimonthly magazine defining and contemporary culture; and Garage, a digital platform and biannual publication converging the worlds of art ​ ​ and design.