For 20 years, Northern Uganda has been torn apart and twisted by the ravages of war with a rebel force called the Lord's Resistance Army. This band of violent men have kidnapped children, forcing the boys to become killers and the girls to be sex slaves. The pain and suffering endured by these children is horrific. Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine have made a documentary that focuses on the stories of three resilient kids who live in the Patongo Displacement Camp which offers shelter to 60,000 refugees. They have two things in common: their immense suffering and their participation in the National Music Competition in Kampala.
Rose is a 13-year-old choirgirl who watched while her parents were murdered in front of her. Dominic is a 14-year-old former child soldier who was forced to kill two people and has carried the guilt for those acts with him. He plays the xylophone and is very proud to represent his community. Nancy, a 14-year-old dancer, still mourns her father and takes care of her siblings.
This upbeat documentary shows the healing capacities of music, song, and dance on these brutalized and traumatized youth. In the competition, they are the outsiders viewed by other schools as strange and different. The Fines film the rehearsals and the final competition. It is gratifying to see how creative expression can be both cathartic and community building.
Special DVD features include deleted and extended scenes.
