Music In Mali: Life Is Hard, Music Is Good is a feature-length documentary about the incredibly rich culture of West Africa’s largest country, Mali. The documentary explores the Manding Empire, which through its role in the slave trade, became a major influence on the culture and music of the Americas with its direct relationship to Western musical genres such as Blues, Rock, Jazz and Hip-hop. The film features artists such as Grammy winning Toumani Diabate, Bassekou Kouyate, Djeneba seck, Djelimadi Tounkara, the late Mangala Camara, the late Lobi Traore, Zani Diabate, and many others. Through each artist, the film showcases the different styles of Malian music from an intimate perspective. The filmmakers have worked incredibly hard in less than ideal conditions including a military coup and a civil war in order to capture stunning, cinematic images and the heart and soul of an amazing nation.