“A profile in courage but also groove, Johanna Schwartz’s survey of Mali’s musical life post—Shariah law stands as an invigorating rebuke to Hollywood’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrots and Rock the Kasbahs.”
– Village Voice“Johanna Schwartz’s miraculously hopeful documentary, “They Will Have to Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile,” delivers a vibrant testimony of resilience under oppression.”
– New York Times“One of the season’s top documentaries”
– The GuardianDisturbing and inspiring…an excellent, important documentary…Masterfully shot and edited.
– CBC Radio“There’s a moment about two-thirds of the way through this film about music and war in the African nation of Mali when a band of young men called Songhoy Blues gets a chance to tour England, and the sense of happiness for them in the audience is palpable.”
– Statesman“When a film starts with a history lesson told music video-style through French-language rap, you know you’re watching something unique.”
– Slackerwood“Sociopolitical tragedy forces rock back into service as a mode of struggle against oppressive and hypocritical authority, and old truisms — the idea that music can transcend borders, speak truth to power just by existing — become reinvested with meaning.”
– GrantlandOne of the top five films at SXSW 2015. “SXSW was rife with music documentaries this year, and this was one of the more timely and bracing.”
– Indiewire“The best part of any film festival is stumbling across a discovery, finding a fresh directorial voice or subject matter that has escaped the 24-hour news cycle…Johanna Schwartz’s haunting and gorgeously shot They Will Have to Kill Us First…is the kind of movie that makes the crowds and insanity of SXSW worthwhile.”
– Star Telegram – Entertainment“Gorgeously shot by director Johanna Schwartz and heartbreaking in parts while joyously uplifting in others, They Will Have To Kill Us First is a testament to survival under tyranny — and the beauty of the beat.”
– Star Telegram – Arts & Culture