War Dance is a documentary released in 2007 that tells the story of three children, Nancy, a choral singer, Rose, a dancer, and Dominic, a xylophonist. They are members of an ethnic group called the Acholi, who live in a remote refugee camp in Patongo, in northern Uganda. The camp is under the military protection of an army, against a resistance force led by a terrorist group that has been in conflict with the government for decades. In 2005, the camp's primary school wins a regional music competition and goes to Kampala to take part in the annual national competition. Over three months, the documentary's production team lived in the camp, where they followed the three young people's preparation for the big event. The film offers the children's perspective on the complexity of war, and is a convincing testimony to the healing power of art and creative expression. It is wonderful to be able to watch this joyful part of the cultural life of children who, although victimised and traumatised, strive to survive and build a better life in a very troubled part of the world.
The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award for Documentary. It was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2008, and received an Emmy Award, for Best Documentary and Best Cinematography, in 2010, among many other awards.
This film, which Xonguila highly recommends, was written and directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, and produced by Susan MacLaury, of Shine Global.
