From producer/director Yanick Letourneau comes the feature documentary, United States of Africa: Beyond Hip Hop, co-produced (and distributed) by the National Film Board of Canada (we've shared a lot of work from them here on S&A over the years).

It already received a theatrical release in Canada, and will next screen on 4 Canadian broadcasters (Tele-Quebec, SuperChannel, Documentary and Radio-Canada).

It will also be broadcast on SABC 1 in South Africa later this year.

And for those in the USA, the critically-acclaimed, festival-played film will premiere on May 15th, for a 2 month run, on InDemand (www.indemand.com), the TV VOD/PPV service.

The film's synopsis reads:

Testifying to the power of music to stoke political consciousness, United States of Africa follows African rapper Didier Awadi as he tours 40 countries as part of a tribute to black leaders. Awadi is passionate, articulate, committed—and a great musician to boot. Through him, hip hop arrives at its 360-degree point, coming back to the continent from which its pioneers were taken and redeeming the music they used to speak to that injustice. The film also outlines the tragic defeats of various African leaders who were thwarted in their progressive aims, often by Western powers. This documentary gives us a picture of the past and hope for the future, all through the lens of music and politics. More than any genre except folk, rap has fused those two things; this is a stirring example of that fusion and the power it can have.

United States of Africa: Beyond Hip Hop premiered at RIDM 2011 in Montreal where the film won the Critics Choice Award.

You can "like" the film via its Facebook page HERE.

Watch its trailer and check out one-sheet below: