User reviews

Just shocking!! I have not attempted to write any comments on this web site (just lack of time maybe) but after seeing this movie, I felt that had to write about it. It is so touching and natural that I could not help crying while I was watching this film. I felt guilty on my part to share this wild and cruel world, creating so called wars , killing humans and leaving millions of orphans behind... And even the most merciless tran of the war lords can not overcome with love of music and dance. Movie gives a clear idea of how miserable lives are lived at the heart of black Afica. Everybody must see this movie to get insight about war and humanity..

War/Dance is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. It made me feel happy and sad at the same time. These children are amazing. Their plight reminds me of the children in the Holocaust. It also made me realize that we are lucky to live in the 21st century and that we are truly a "global" community. What does the average person know about life in Uganda today? Watching these children tell their heart-wrenching stories made me want to go to there and visit their village. I think because of the contest these children have hopes and dreams again. They rose above the horrors of war and achieved, in a sense, nobility, not just for themselves but for their whole tribe. Directors/writers Sean Fine and Andrea Nix ought to receive an academy award for their excellent work! Do not miss this film! Its images will stay with you for a long time.

I had the pleasure of viewing this film at Sundance, and it is phenomenal. Outstanding film making, and a compelling story that can only come from real life. My heart went out to the children, and I was incredibly inspired by their stories. Documentary film making at it's best. It won the Outstanding Director Award, and with good reason.

What I found most compelling was how the film showed the resilience of the human spirit in the worst of circumstances. At the end of day, we all want to be loved and to contribute to our society. These children and their families rose above the atrocities of war to achieve greatness within their community and their country. They did it not because it was the "right" or "nobel" thing to do, but because it made them feel good and helped to wipe away their pain. A very important lesson for us all.

This superb documentary shows Acholi children from one village in the war zones of northern Uganda, who diligently prepare for the national musical and cultural competition in far-off and far-safer Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

While they try hard to succeed, they are beset by the constant danger of abduction at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army (MRA), which is led by a religious fanatic (and part-time mystic and fortune-teller) named Joseph Kony, who started an uprising against the Ugandan army in 1986, pledging to turn the country into a theocracy with a constitution loosely based on the Ten Commandments.

Kony's army has abducted more than 30,000 children in northern Uganda and forced them to be soldiers and killers of their own tribal members. More than 200,000 children in northern Uganda have been orphaned because their parents were murdered. The LRA's 20-year war against the central government's Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF), has left at least two million Ugandans displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, even in so-called 'safe camps,' where countless thousands live amid squalor and disease and depend on the United Nations food program, the UPDF still doesn't provide adequate protection.

It is wonderful to watch these determined children turn on their smiles and their brilliant talents as they prepare for, and participate in, the national competition. When they arrive in Kampala (southern Uganda, where no warfare takes place), they are overwhelmed to see skyscrapers; they had never seen buildings before.

Writers/directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix have done a great job of conveying the wondrous dreams of young people, along with the terrible ordeals they face in a savage, senseless war that sees no end. One youth, in a stunning story of barbarism, recounts how he was ordered to butcher three farmers with a hoe, and if he looked away at any time, he himself would have been murdered. Such is the barbarism that exists in northern Uganda today, much of it all but unknown to us in the West.

To make matters worse, there is blatant corruption in the central government itself, which enacted legislation in 2005 that will allow the corrupt lowlife Yoweri Musevini (elected in 1986) to be president-for-life. There are strong hints that he and Kony have an 'arrangement' to continue the war because it advances both of their 'causes,' although those 'causes' are not always readily apparent. Neither of these two lunatics appears to give a damn about the terrible pain they have inflicted on their own people.

Another equally powerful documentary on this same subject is 'The Other Side of the Country' (2006), by Quebec filmmaker Catherine Hebert. This very disturbing film concentrates more on the older (and even aged) northern Ugandans who are displaced from their homes by war and forced to live out their lives in teeming, treacherous 'relocation' camps, which are really nothing more than disease-infested examples of the worst kinds of slums.

I thought that this movie was truly amazing and so eye opening! I was in shock when i saw this because though I knew that there was a war going on, i didn't realize how bad it really was. I think that this movie was wonderfully made and that they deserved that Oscar. I also think that the three main kids (Dominic, Rose and Nancy) were such nice kids and happy kids even though they had to go through all that. I got to meet Dominic and he is a truly wonderful kid. He is so nice and doing really well.

Also, in case anyone wanted to donate money to AMREF (one of the sponsor's for the film) you can go on their website, www.amref.org and then they tell you how to donate there.

I was fortunate to see this movie on a promotional pass. Fortunate, as I may have passed up this very moving film. I have seen the documentaries up for an Academy Award this year and this by far surpasses them. It has inspired me. For many, many years Uganda has been at war with rebels, a conflict that I had heard about in the past and thought was long over. I had heard in my youth, how children's families were killed and they were kidnapped, the boys to become soldiers in the rebellion and the girls sex slaves. I was horrified to hear that it is still currently going on. This is a story of a group of these children from Patongo who survived. Some saved from being rebels and some … not so lucky, being forced to kill their own at gunpoint. Sounds dismal and bleak, but this is a story of Hope, Redemption, Pride and Perseverance. With beautiful cinematography and the story of song, music and dance these children are the very image of Life and the strength of the Spirit. The documentary focuses on three students in the Patongo refugee camp, Rose, Dominic, and Nancy, as they prepare for their first National Music Competition in which over 20,000 schools will be competing. They tell their story of survival and trauma of the brutally violent effects of the rebellion. Haunting and disturbing, powerful and most important uplifting, this is the finest definition of Courage. A must see film.

Much like Gore's film, War/Dance is a great cinematic contribution to the world. Bold statement. This film has less urgency and less catastrophe than Gore's but still, it must be watched. I really like the style of storytelling: they allowed the three main subjects--three children: Rose, Nancy, & Dominic--to do all of the storytelling (without any provided narration). The result is three intimate and soul-wrenching revelations of turmoil and perseverance, and most importantly, of hope. Children can be very profound; these three definitely are. They have that look of war veterans in their eyes. Amazingly captured in the cinematography. The shots, presentation of political & social subject matter, emotional content--all excellent. You will walk away informed & attached, and wanting to take action; you don't feel like you've just read yesterday's newspaper or received some second or third-generation information. This film is moving in so many ways. Go.

DANCING AROUND GENOCIDE. Some scenes.. clearly staged and a Uganda government employee, Emmanuel Olobo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also a translator, raising questions about objectivity and the extent of the dictatorship's involvement in other aspects of the film; what's shocking is that Olobo's name is even listed on the credits at the end of the film, although he is not identified as a government official, until recently based in the Uganda embassy in Washington, D.C. as First Secretary, where he worked under Ugandan ambassador Perezi Kamunanwire, Uganda's chief apologist to the U.S. The film's most glaring weakness is failure to adequately expose the Museveni regime's role in creating the concentration camps and forcefully forcing Acholis, women, men and children into the camps (for more background please see the Human Rights Watch Report "Uprooted and Forgotten, Impunity and Human Rights Abuses.http://blackstarnews.com/?c=132&a=4253

This is certainly one of the finest documentaries we have ever seen. It ranks with Hoop Dreams and Roger & Me. The cinematography is outstanding, and the film blends the horrific stories of three child victims of war with youthful hope for the future through music. The directors manage to capture the beautiful landscape of Uganda's war-torn north while also showing how ravaged both the countryside and families have been during the last decades. The music that propels the film forward was also wonderful and unique to Western ears.

This is the only time I have ever left the theater and immediately called friends to tell them to go see a film. All I can say is, Go see this film!

Nominated at the 2008 Oscars in the Best Documentary category, it is easy to see why WAR DANCE was on top of that list. Although it lost out to TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, War Dance need not hang its head.

Little known subjects are a great thing to learn about, and this is War Dance's biggest strength. The civil war in Uganda has raged for over 20 years, but few know what it's about or its effects on the population. One look at War Dance will give you some chilling insights.

Focusing on three children within the Patongo refugee camp of northern Uganda, all of the kids have lost at least one parent, sibling or family member to the horrors of the war, and have been forced into this government protected camp for basic survival. Life is dank, depressing, and full of fear. Until one day the children discover that their little school has qualified for the finals at the annual Kampala Music Festival. And with them will go Dominic, a boy forced into being a child soldier for the rebels and desperately trying to locate his lost brother. A gripping scene between himself and a rebel leader tells Dominic much of what he already suspected. Nancy, a tough young lady, will go the Kampala, too. And with her she brings the hopes and dreams of her father who was hacked to death by machetes (the visit to his grave is sure to have many reaching for the tissue box). Then we have Rose, the soft-spoken one who is obviously in a funk of depression. But to watch her dance is to see the lights burst forth from her eyes.

The documentary is exceptionally well put together. The cinematography of the surrounding jungle is awe-inspiring, as are the tough scenes where children are put in front of the camera and asked to explain how they feel ("I can't wait to see what peace looks like," says one of them as they prepare to compete in Kampala).

Shown as a sort of David and Goliath tale, one can't help but see the infiltration of Christianity on these people's lives, too. Their clothing, their "prayers", and many other aspects speak to the westernization of their culture. One of the competition categories is even called "Western Choral Music." But the big winner in the categories is obviously the native dance sequence where Dominic shines as the xylophone player, Nancy dances and spins with delight, and Rose comes back to life. The other schools, initially sneering at this "tiny school from the north", begin to respect them.

But can these first timers win anything at a festival where they compete against schools of much greater renown? You'll have to watch and find out. And you should. The tales of torture mixed with the joy of music and dance are something everyone should see. And you might even learn something you didn't know about in another part of the world.

I saw War Dance when it was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. I shed a lot of tears and was awed at the resiliency of these children. Besides the devastating aspects of the film, it was also uplifting and brought a smile to my face. Simple things that opportune individuals take for granted made these children so happy. The cinematography was beautiful and symbolic. The children were lovable. Everyone should see this film as it opens our eyes to what others suffer and overcome. It helped me to realize how lucky I was to live in America and have the life that I have. The film also builds awareness and gives the viewer information on how they can help out with situation in northern Uganda.

This is a documentary that makes one realize fully the power of film. This is a very intense film on the rehabilitation of young children whose lives have been shattered by war – in this case a war in northern Uganda. This rehabilitation is done by involvement in music and dance. There is a universality to these art forms that hopefully will bring joy and strength back to their lives.

I also loved the way this film portrayed African people – there are relatively few films that give a full portrait of the people of Africa. There are many films depicting events in Africa. This one gives a full view of both people and events – it does not portray people in the abstract. Some of the events narrated in this documentary are not for the faint of heart. I would not recommend this film for young children.

It also makes one realize how we in the affluent west are so overloaded with our gadgets and toys. How much does one need for happiness?

There is both great joy and sadness in this documentary, so be prepared.

Like the Humane Society ads with Sarah McLachlan whining in the background, I was actually afraid to watch a documentary like this.

But it was so incredibly, sensitively and beautifully filmed, scored and produced that I am speechless. It is IMO a damn near perfect documentary.

The exposition of the stories of just three of the 50,000 children in the camp was skillfully done--but so, so real. I don't know how they got this footage from these children. It was obvious they were confronting their memories for the first times --in all three cases.

But the nationwide music and dance competition was exactly what both the viewer and the children were in need of--relief from pain.

I am in awe of what has been done here. I leave it with just one question: What can *I* do?

In the war-ravaged region of northern Uganda, a group of Acholi children - many of them orphans - living in a government-run refugee camp, use music and dance as a means to keep hope alive. Indeed, the youngsters are so good at what they do that their school was chosen as a finalist in the 2005 Kampala Music Festival, an event held annually in the nation's capital. Of course, before they can participate in that event, the kids and their instructors will have to safely navigate their way through the rebel-infested region that lies between their camp and their intended destination.

The Oscar-nominated documentary "War Dance," directed by Sean and Andrea Nix Fine, tells the story of these children.

In the camp, music has become a form of therapy for these traumatized youngsters, a means to help them come to terms with - or at least temporarily forget - the unspeakable atrocities they've experienced in their short lives, atrocities they recount for us in graphic and harrowing detail. In its "lighter" moments, the movie focuses on the children as they rehearse for the upcoming competition. Then it's on to the festival itself, where the children of Patongo sing, dance and perform their little hearts out, filled with suspense at the outcome, anticipation of taking home a prize, and pride in a job well done. And the sheer, unadulterated joy is palpable.

As a study in contrasts, the movie presents us with both the best and the worst that humanity has to offer - the heartbreaking along with the heartwarming. And indeed, you would need to have a heart of stone not to be deeply touched by this film.