Sean Fine is a documentary filmmaker whose War/Dance about child soldiers was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2007.
Fine was born into a family that made documentary films, the son of a cinematographer/director and a film editor/director.[1] Although he grew up with the various tools of the trade, it was not until he took a summer film course at NYU that he realized he wanted to make films for a living. After graduating from college, he went to work for National Geographic, where he met his wife.[1][2] Within a year after starting to work for National Geographic, he was directing his first documentary, which won two national Emmy Awards. Fine credits National Geographic for teaching him how to "get the shot the first time" in very difficult locations.[1]
The Fine's decided to make a documentary about the twenty-year old civil war in northern Uganda after having been contacted by a non-profit, Shine Global.[1] Their son was a year old at the time of filming, causing them to stay in separate parts of Uganda during filming because of the danger involved.[2]
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2007 for his film, War/Dance, which he produced with his wife, Andrea Nix Fine.[2][3]