Current News

Two Connecticut College alumni celebrate Oscar nominations

Sean Fine ´96

January 24, 2008

Two Connecticut College alumni learned this week that their films will compete head-to-head at the 80th Annual Academy Awards Feb. 24.

"War Dance," a powerful documentary by Sean Fine ´96 and his wife Andrea Nix Fine, has been nominated for an Oscar for best documentary feature. The film is up against four others, including "No End in Sight," produced by Jessie Vogelson ´96.

"War Dance," which debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of children in a refugee camp primary school in northern Uganda´s war zone who venture on a journey to compete in the country´s annual music competition.

Fine spent 12 weeks in northern Uganda during 2005 and 2006, despite contracting malaria and living in the most dangerous part of the war zone. Last December, the documentary was accepted at the Human Rights Film Festival and was one of 16 documentaries in competition at Sundance. A trailer can be viewed at www.fine-films.com.

Vogelson´s "No End in Sight" examines how the Bush administration constructed the Iraq war and the subsequent occupation. A trailer can be viewed at www.noendinsightmovie.com/.

Both films have received wide-spread recognition. At Sundance, Fine and his wife took home the top directing award in the documentary category, while "No End in Sight" was awarded a special jury prize, "in recognition of the film as timely work that clearly illuminates the misguided policy decisions that have led to the catastrophic quagmire of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq."

For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu