Exclusive: Watch The First 5 Minutes From Malian Music Documentary 'They Will Have To Kill Us First'

Today is Music Freedom Day, which brings attention to persecuted, prosecuted, and imprisoned musicians worldwide, whose only crimes are speaking out against injustice and pursuing the desire to express themselves creatively. It serves as an appropriate backdrop to unveil the first five minutes of the forthcoming documentary, "They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music In Exile."

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Directed by Johanna Schwartz, making her debut feature film, and featuring a score by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and a soundtrack featuring Songhoy Blues, Kharia Arby, Fadimata “Disco” Walet Oumar, and Moussa Sidi, the film tells the powerful story of Malian musicians who continue to strive to make their music and have voices heard after the country came under the control of Islamic jihadists in 2012. Here's the synopsis: 

Music is the beating heart of Malian culture, but...