War Dance

Rank

Top 20% of all time (see others with this rank)

Festival Year

2007 (click here to see all competition films from this year)

Category

Documentary Competition

Non-Cast Credits

Susan MacLaury, Mark Urman, Daniel Katz, Albie Hecht, Josie Swantek, Kari Kim, Andrew Herwitz, Sean Fine, Jeff Consiglio

Description

In War/Dance, a profoundly moving cinematic work of art, an indomitable beacon of light shines within a world of darkness. For the last 20 years, northern Uganda has been at war with a rebel force, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). In this war zone, children are not only the victims of the rebels--they are the rebels. The LRA employs a horrifically effective process to fill its ranks--abducting children.

War/Dance follows the historic journey of three of these children--Dominic, Rose, and Nancy--and their school in the Patongo refugee camp, the first school from the northern war zone to make it to the finals of Uganda's national music and dance competition.

Amidst unimaginable violence and grief, these children sing and dance: they sing with vitality; they sing without fear; they sing in protest and in celebration. They dance and stomp to the rhythms of their ancestors. Devastated by the horrors of war, they carry the hopes and dreams of their entire village with them. Husband and wife filmmaking team Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine have crafted a consummate work that elevates nonfiction filmmaking to its highest level. War/Dance will renew your faith in the power of the human spirit to soar despite unspeakable odds.

Reviewer

David Courier (see other films reviewed by the same reviewer)

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