(UNION, NJ) -- WAR/DANCE was honored as best documentary and best cinematography at the 31st Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards ceremony in New York on September 27. Dr. Susan MacLaury, professor in the Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Health at Kean University, served as executive producer for the winning feature documentary.
The film was directed by Sean and Andrea Nix Fine, and produced by MacLaury and her husband, Albie Hecht, of Shine Global, Inc. The awards join an Academy Award nomination and more than twenty other festival recognitions for WAR/DANCE.
"WAR/DANCE reflects the triumph of the human spirit over adversity and was a labor of love for all of us involved," said MacLaury of Montclair, N.J. "To have the film recognized in this amazing way is truly an honor. We sincerely hope that our work contributes to peace dialogues around the planet."
WAR/DANCE follows three remarkable children, Nancy, Rose and Dominic, in the northern Uganda war zone, as they transform from victims of war into triumphant young adults. For the past two decades, the children of the Acholi tribe in northern Uganda have been caught in the middle of a horrific war between the country's leadership and a rebel force, the Lord's Resistance Army. But when the internally displaced persons' camp's primary school unexpectedly wins a regional music competition, the opportunity to compete nationally in Kampala brings with it the forgotten chance to dream.
A longtime social worker and health education professor, MacLaury appreciates the opportunity to combine her love for teaching and her interest in young people with the power of documentary film. "My two passions – for teaching and now for filmmaking through our non-profit organization, Shine Global – juxtapose beautifully as the films we make all profile children whose health and well-being have been seriously challenged but who survive, and often triumph, despite their problems," added MacLaury. "I believe strongly in the power of film to educate, both in and out of the classroom, and to promote genuine social change."
The Emmy® Awards were attended by more than 900 television and news media industry executives, news and documentary producers and journalists. Emmy® Awards were presented in 41 categories, including breaking news, investigative reporting, outstanding interview, and, of course, best documentary.
Shine Global is a non-profit film production company dedicated to ending the exploitation and abuse of children worldwide through the production of films that raise social awareness. To learn more, visit www.shineglobal.org.
Founded in 1855, Kean University is one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, boasting a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment, offering more than 50 undergraduate degrees and more than 45 options leading to a master's degree, doctorate, professional diploma and/or state certification(s). Five undergraduate colleges and the Nathan Weiss Graduate College now serve more than 15,000 students.
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