War Dance is the latest in a line of documentaries made by Americans about the war in Northern Uganda. Like Invisible Children before it, War Dance focuses on how children have been affected by the 20 year conflict. But unlike previous documentaries though, this one is not retelling a tragedy, playing on audience guilt, or trying to sell us of why it is cool to care. Instead the documentary focuses on how music is giving those children a chance to heal—without any help from east or west.
The story follows the lives of 3 children who are trying to help their school win the National Music Competition:
War Dance: About the Movie
Great cinematography, a poignant soundtrack and great reviews should help this documentary woo movie goers around the world. It has already won 15 film awards, including the prestigious Directing Award for a Documentary feature at the Sundance Film Festival. But it is not film juries that the producers need to impress. Many Ugandans are weary of foreign film makers coming into the country and zipping to Gulu to capture the latest child tragedy on film. Other such documentaries are often criticized for showing negative aspects of a country that wants so desperately to be perceived as more than just the seat of former dictator Idi Amin.
As self-serving as such criticisms may be, they do score a point against western film makers who peddle their features before western audiences. Movies goers in American and Europe may pay the bills, but it is Ugandans who most desperately need to see the war in the North for what it is, and what it has done to the children there. They will have to wait a while though. The film is currently being shown on select screens in a few states in America.
War Dance is directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix FIne of Fine Films.
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