Every year, over 20,000 schools compete to be shortlisted for Uganda's National Music Competition.
The children from Patongo, a camp which crudely houses 60,000 people displaced by two decades of war, are unexpectedly selected to participate. With heart, talent, immense pride and drive, Patongo's team - largely consisting of war orphans or rescued child soldiers - rehearse their events before making the dangerous trek through rebel-infested territory to the Ugandan capital of Kampala.
At the centre of
War/Dance are three teens from Patongo whose lives have been marked by harrowing violence. For xylophone player Dominic (14), chorister Rose (13), and dancer Nancy (14), the chance to compete offers a profoundly transformative opportunity to reclaim a measure of joy in their lives.
Nominated at this year's Academy Awards for Best Documentary. Winner, Best Director (Documentary) at the Sundance Film Festival.
"Sounds like a crowd-pleasing African version of Mad Hot Ballroom... but the stakes are far higher here. May be the most profound thing you see on screen this year"
San Francisco Chronicle
