War Dance

War/Dance wan documentary film directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine. The film centers on three children - Rose, a 13-year-old choir singer; Nancy, a 14-year-old dancer and Dominic, a 14-year-old xylopphone player.

They are members of the Acholi ethnic group, living in the remote northern Uganda refugee camp of Patongo, which is under military protection from the LRA (The Lord's Resistance Army, is a sectarian religious and military group based in northern Uganda).

The group LRA was formed in 1987 and is engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan goverment and it was one of Africa longest-running conflicts. It is led by Joseph Kony and the group is based in apocalyptic Christianity with influenced by a blend of Mysticism traditional religion.

The LRA is accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, kidnaping, sexual enslavement of woman and children and forcing children to participate in hostilities. Since the LRA first started fighting in 1986 they may have forced well over 10,000 boys and girls into combat, often killing family neighbors and school teachers in the process.

In 2005, the camp's primary school won its regional music competition and headed to Kampala to participate in the annual National Music Competition. War/Dance focuses on three of the eight categories: Western choral performance, instrumental music, and traditional dance, where the students perform the Bwola, the dance of the Acholi. Over the course of three months, the film's creative team observes the three youngsters as they prepare for the event and gain their confidence enough to have them discuss the horrors they have experienced and express their individual fears, hopes, and dreams.