Improving Lives Through Documentary Films

Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine are working to create global change. The husband and wife directing duo are not only filmmakers but humanitarians, and the two have created the nonprofit organization, Shine Global, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those devastated by unyielding catastrophes. On Shine Global's website their mission in their films is most eloquently stated: "To illuminate the positive efforts made by children and their families to overcome devastating odds." This is exactly what they intend to do with their upcoming film War/Dance.

The film is already receiving attention and is being distributed by ThinkFilm; its first screening will be at the Sundance Film Festival. For nearly 20 years, Uganda has been plagued with a civil war that is causing great devastation to its people. War/Dance profiles three individuals directly affected by this civil war as they find hope through dance at Uganda's annual dance and music competition. Children who are displaced by the war look forward to traveling to this competition, free to enjoy themselves through this incredible form of self-expression.

This won't be the first time we see a documentary that brings light to a drearier part of our world through dance. In a less extreme circumstance, but still bearing the same influence on the audience and the children in the film, was Marilyn Agrelo's Mad Hot Ballroom. Instead of Ugandan children, the subjects were the children of lower income families in New York City. Typically, these kids most often fall into drugs and a life of crime, but teachers with a passion for dance manage to instill that same passion in the hearts of their students. Through the documentary, the audience was able to see with their own eyes the children's incredible transformation.

Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine have set out to make a film that directly rocks the global perspective on Ugandan children. It is their way of hoping to contribute to the relief of these communities ... and I for one am sold. I look forward to more documentary filmmakers not only opening everyone's eyes, but also using the proceeds of their films to directly donate to their causes. Paramount donated 5% of An Inconvenient Truth ticket sales to Alliance for Climate Protection and Shine Global is doing the same; all proceeds from War/Dance will directly fund the individuals projected on the screen. It's amazing how easy they are making it for us to contribute; all we have to do is buy a ticket to sit down and watch a film.