NFB Pacts with YouTube for U.S. Movie Release

MONTREAL: The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has teamed up with YouTube for the U.S. premiere of the feature-length documentary The "Socalled" Movie, centered on a young Canadian pianist, singer, rapper, producer and composer.

The film will debut tomorrow during the South By Southwest festival. The Canadian musician Socalled, whose debut music video brought in more than 2 million views on YouTube, will also be performing at the festival on March 16. The movie is a co-production from the reFrame Films and the NFB, and will be playing in Canadian theaters this spring. The "Socalled" Movie is a portrait of the musician, who is also a magician, filmmaker and visual artist. The documentary offers up 18 short films about his creative process.

“This latest development in our partnership with YouTube represents an exciting new distribution opportunity for the National Film Board of Canada,” said Tom Perlmutter, the government film commissioner and NFB chairperson. “At the NFB, we’re leading the way in using online and mobile technology to bring Canadian talent and creativity to the world and opening the door for Canadian innovation in the audio-visual industry. YouTube is the perfect platform for Socalled and The "Socalled Movie," and the ideal channel to serve our growing U.S. online audience.”

The entertainment marketing and strategy manager at YouTube, Sara Pollack, stated, “"Socalled has been a celebrated figure on YouTube ever since his music video ‘You Are Never Alone’ debuted on the site almost two years ago. We’re thrilled to be able to give our users a chance to learn more about this talented artist by premiering The "Socalled" Movie on our platform."