War Dance
SYNOPSIS:
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine's WAR DANCE is a powerful documentary that follows a group of schoolchildren as they overcome nearly insurmountable odds in their quest to participate in the annual Kampala Music Festival. For over 20 years, Northern Uganda has been a war zone, and as a vicious rebel force, the Lord's Resistance Army, has run rampant, destroying villages, kidnapping children, and murdering parents. The 60,000 survivors are forced to live in a refugee camp, where conditions are bleak and resources are scarce. Somehow, the children of the Patongo Primary School have qualified for the Kampala Music Festival competition for the first time, a feat unto itself; yet these children are determined to take home the championship prize.
Along the way, we meet three of these innocent and tender victims: Dominic, who escapes the brutal memories of his past as a member of the L.R.A. by playing the xylophone; Rose, a shy singer who still suffers from memories of having witnessed her parents' slaughter by the rebels; and Nancy, a dancer whose aunt doesn't want her to go to the festival because she needs to take care of her three siblings. In a situation that appears to be anything but glamorous, Sean Fine's gorgeous cinematography provides a much-needed respite, flooding the screen with images of beauty, reflecting the hopeful minds of these determined children. As they make their way to Kampala to perform in front of an audience that doesn't think much of them, they must band together to prove that war and famine and slaughter cannot suffocate their spirit. WAR DANCE is a truly inspiring work of nonfiction that deserves to be seen by viewers all over the world.
REVIEWERS' COMMENTS:
- "The perfect antidote to compassion fatigue."--Bruce Newman, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
- "This is powerful stuff that reasserts both the evil and the good in human hearts."--Robert W. Butler, KANSAS CITY STAR
- "This is documentary-making at its best, not pretending to be journalism, but still playing a crucial role in telling stories that otherwise wouldn't make the front page."--Ann Hornaday, WASHINGTON POST
- "The cinematography is striking. The music is mesmerizing. And the triumph of the underdog team against all odds is extra satisfying."--Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
AWARDS, NOMINATIONS:
- 2008: Nominated for Oscar (Best documentary feature)
- 2007: Won Best Director Award, Sundance Film Festival
- 2007: Won Audience Award and Wexler Award, Woodstock Film Festival
- 2007: Won Audience Award, Wisconsin Film Festival
- 2007: Won Audience Award, Aspen Filmfest
DETAILS:
Rated PG-13 for some thematic material describing war atrocities. 105 min. In English. 2007 release.
TRAILER:
http://www.alltrailers.net/war-dance.html