MONTREAL - The National Film Board of Canada will debut a documentary about Montreal-based musician Socalled on YouTube in the U.S. next week.
"The 'Socalled' Movie" will be available to Americans on the YouTube Video Rental Service on March 16.
That's the same day Socalled - who was born Josh Dolgin in Ottawa - performs at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
This is the first time the NFB, which co-produced the "The 'Socalled' Movie" with reFrame Films, has made such a deal with YouTube.
The NFB says the collaboration was a perfect fit for this particular movie since Socalled - who fuses music from different cultures and eras - has a strong presence in the U.S. and is a hit on YouTube.
The YouTube Video Rental Service launched at the recent Sundance Film Festival and isn't yet available to Canadians.
The NFB says a Canadian theatrical rollout of "The 'Socalled' Movie" will be announced later this year.
In the past, the NFB has programmed its own YouTube channel and featured some of its animation on YouTube's online screening room.
It's also collaborated with YouTube on an online short-film competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
"The 'Socalled' Movie," directed by Garry Beitel, was shot in Montreal, New York, France and Ukraine.