Children of War

A Journey of Healing and Homecoming
by
Year Released
2011
Film Length(s)
75 mins
Remote video URL

Introduction

Reflecting growing acclaim and international recognition, the award-winning Children of War is activating audiences and proving itself to be a timeless and powerful communication tool on the subjects of child soldiers, international justice, and post-war recovery and transformation.

Featured review

A Journey of Homecoming and Hope
Asha-Rose Migiro
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General

Synopsis

Filmed in the former war-zone of northern Uganda over a period of three years, Children of War is a unique and incandescent film which follows a group of former child soldiers as they escape the battlefield, enter the sanctuary of a rehabilitation center, and undergo a process of trauma therapy and emotional healing. Having been abducted from their homes and schools and forced to become fighters by the Lord's Resistance Army -- a quasi-religious militia led by self-proclaimed prophet and war criminal Joseph Kony -- the children struggle to confront and break through years of captivity, extreme religious indoctrination, and participation in war crimes with the help of a team of trauma counselors.

As these fearless allies guide the children forward into new lives, Children of War illuminates a powerful and cathartic story of forgiveness and hope in the aftermath of war.

Reviews

Wonderful... Captures the joy of rebirth
Radhika Coomaraswamy
United Nations Under-Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict
Children of War is a remarkable film.
Amy Goodman
Author and Journalist at Democracy Now!
The world must see this film. Every school, every student, every leader
Luis Moreno-Ocampo
former International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor
I cannot remember a documentary so wrenching and hopeful, so guileless and authentic. Equally rare is documentary that can be called art. Children of War is an aesthetic masterpiece and I do not use that word lightly—if ever. It is other worldly and primordial, beckoning us to experience the brutality of war and the obliteration of innocence in children seconded into senseless brutality. Boys and girls who became the blunt instruments of war return within the watchfulness of Bryan's skillful filmmaking to the remembrance of goodness, an alchemical act of spirituality captured as if the filmmaker was invisible. Children of War should be seen by every young person in the world, and most certainly every trigger happy politician. A radically humanizing narrative done with perfect grace and skillfulness.
Paul Hawken
NY Times Best-selling Author
This riveting documentary hits you on so many levels -- visceral, cognitive, psychological, social, and political... It leads to provocative and thoughtful classroom discussion, deeper understanding about child soldiers and the life-long impact it has on them, and to questions of why this type of behavior can go on.
William Pfohl
Former President, National Association of School Psychologists

Awards and Screenings

Cinema for Peace, Justice Award, 2010
Artivist International Film Festival, Best Film Child's Advocacy, 2009
International Festival and Form on Human Rights (FIFDH), in honor of Sérgio Vieira de Mello, 2010
Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award, 2011
United Nations General Assembly Hall - World Premiere, 2010
The American Cinematheque, Los Angeles, 2013
United States Institute of Peace, Washington D.C, 2009
Palais des Beaux-Arts Bozar, Brussels , 2010

Director Commentary

"Hearing the former child soldiers recount their personal experiences, it was easy to become cynical, hopeless, and fatalistic at their chances for recovery," confesses filmmaker Bryan Single. "But over time I witnessed something both astonishing and inspiring. As these children were guided day after day by their counselors, many of them began to open up and exhibit an honesty and articulation about their experiences far beyond their years. Confronting their deepest fears and crisis, many were able to re-connect to feelings of forgiveness, hope, and renewal. I discovered there was so much the world could learn from these extraordinary children and their courageous process of recovery."

Features and Languages

Subtitle/Caption Languages

  • English

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

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