Music is the beating heart of Malian culture.

The Western Saharan country is home to some of the world’s most extraordinary musicians and sounds, the birthplace of a thousand styles. Often overlooked, the musical world owes much to Mali.  

Wooozy Community Films is proud to present the first China screening for They Will Have to Kill Us First (2016), the award-winning documentary that shines a light and lends a ear to some of the most spectacular sounds being made on the planet today. They Will Have to Kill Us First shows us Mali’s inspirational, joyous music culture, and its will to survive. This is a film about how music is a force for good, and how it endures even in the most difficult of times.

Saturday, 7 January 2017 in Shanghai (DADA), 6pm onwards.
Free entry. English, with Chinese subtitles.  

Before, and after, Wooozy will be curating a special playlist featuring all-contemporary pan-African music. Join us to discover one of the world’s most energetic musical undergrounds.

Screening Details:

Date: Saturday, 7 January 2017, 6pm-8pm
Venue: Dada Shanghai
Address: 115 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu 幸福路115号, 近法华镇路



ABOUT THE FILM:

They Will Have to Kill Us First (2016, 105 mins)

“A vibrant testimony of resilience under oppression" – New York Times

“One of the season’s top documentaries” – The Guardian

When Islamic hardliners took control of northern Mali in 2012, they enforced one of the harshest interpretations of sharia law in history and, crucially for Mali, they banned all forms of music. Overnight, Mali’s revered musicians were forced into hiding or exile where most remain even now. But rather than lay down their instruments, the musicians are fighting back, standing up for their cultural heritage and identity.

THEY WILL HAVE TO KILL US FIRST begins with musicians on the run, reveals rare footage of the jihadists, captures life at refugee camps, follows perilous journeys home to battle scarred cities, and witnesses our two female characters perform at the first public concert in Timbuktu since the music ban. The stories of these artists are told without gloss – they are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspirational, and sometimes incredibly frustrating as we watch musicians make tough choices about their futures.

With a specially commissioned soundtrack from Mali’s most exciting artists, a score written by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner, They Will Have To Kill Us First leaps headfirst into a tale of courage in the face of conflict.