Lessons of Basketball and War offers an exciting, uplifting, and thoughtful exploration of universal themes – violence, prejudice, cultural identity, and conflict resolution as seen through the eyes of adolescent girls – refugees from war and famine in Somalia who have resettled in a strange foreign city. Pushed together in an inner city housing project, religious traditions, and beliefs are tested by the onslaught of a sexualized, celebrity-obsessed America. Teachers work to help students with little previous education and a propensity for an abhorrent form of personal violence fueled by a legacy of ethnic hostilities. This hour-long documentary offers an engaging and, at times, thrilling account of a year in their young lives and the challenges faced by one dedicated educator, peacemaker, and basketball coach.