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Your new movie Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires - in a few words, what is it about?
Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires
is the story of a brother and sister who return to the country of their
birth, Argentina, for the first time in their adult lives. Against the
backdrop of glamorous tango clubs of Buenos Aires, they uncover dark
family secrets and the reason for their parents' emigration to Canada.
With
Ariel: Back to
Buenos Aires having been mostly shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
what can you tell us about your personal relationship with the town, and
what inspired you to set a movie there?
I first travelled to
Buenos Aires almost 20 years ago because I wanted to learn to dance tango. I fell in love with the city and the culture. I wanted to make a
movie that would share my love of Buenos Aires and tango, sort of a love
letter in the form of a movie.
Do talk about
the political backstory of Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires for a bit, and what can you tell us about
your research on the subject?
I want to inform people
about the political history and the involvement of US corporations in
the devastating military dictatorship that took power in Argentina from
1976 to 1983. My husband is Argentinean and his family, as well as
the families of many people I am close to, were impacted by this dark
chapter. I did significant research, sitting in on court cases where
people who had appropriated babies born to opposers of the military
regime were on trial. I also interviewed people who had recovered their
true identities, which had been concealed from them since birth, often
for 20 or 30 years.
There's also lots of music
and dancing in Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires - so what does the tango mean to you
personally, and what made you choose it as your movie's backbone? Tango
has been such a powerfully positive part of my life, and I am compelled to
share its beauty with others. Social dancing, particularly tango with
its close embrace, has the power to heal and to enrich us emotionally,
spiritually, and on so many levels. I love the music of tango - it is so complex and multilayered. I wanted to
show how dancing tango helps the characters navigate a complex emotional
journey by giving them an outlet and an escape from their troubles.
(Other)
sources of inspiration when writing Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires?
I was also inspired by
some classic movies like Missing by Costa-Gavras and The Official Story
by Luis Puenzo. Also Pedro Almodovar's work inspires me. To what extent could you
identify with the two protagonists of Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires?
I think there is a little
bit of me in all the characters, certainly their journey of discovering
tango and navigating concerns about whether or not tango is 'old
fashioned sexist' is a reflection of my experiences.
What can you tell us about
your directorial approach to your story at hand?
I try and get into the
subjectivity of the characters, so when they experience something as
beautiful, I show it as beautiful, even if 'objectively' speaking it is
not. Or, if something is stressful or oppressive to the characters, I
try and reinforce that visually.
Do talk
about Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires's cast, and why exactly these people?
I had the luxury of
working with three of Argentina's most emblematic actors - Cristina
Rosato, Eleonora Wexler and Gerardo Romano. I saw their previous work
and loved them so much! Then for the two Canadian leads we have Raphael
Grosz Harvey and Cristina Rosato - both amazing. This was Raphael's first
lead role, and I hope it will lead to more opportunities for him. They
are both nuanced, sensitive performers who weren't afraid of being
vulnerable.
A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
We had a wonderful world
class team in Argentina. There was a lot of emotion on set as the story
unfolded. However, the shoot was halted after three weeks by the global
pandemic. We finally resumed production a year and a half later, we were
like a family being reunited, and it was very intense. The
$64-question of course, where can Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires be seen?
Streaming on Apple TV and
Vudu in the US and Canada from Sept 12 2023. Anything you can
tell us about audience and critical reception of Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires?
We have won several
festival prizes - Best Foreign Feature @ Arizona International Film
Festival, Audience Choice Award @ Woods Hole Film Festival, Jury
Prize @ Mumbai International Film Festival, Best Canadian Filmmaker @
Toronto Women's Film Festival. Any future projects you'd
like to share?
I am developing a
female-centric thriller set on the Canadian prairies.
What got you into filmmaking in the first
place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? Originally I studied
dance and theatre, but then moved into filmmaking because I felt the
creative possibilities were more exciting. I received a Masters degree
in Film Direction from the Royal College of Art in London, England. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Ariel:
Back to Buenos Aires?
My first dramatic feature
was Mouth to Mouth, starring Oscar nominee Elliot Page. I have also
made several documentaries about carnies, trainhoppers and murga
dancers. I started off directing music videos however. How would you describe
yourself as a director?
I like to plan and
storyboard obsessively, and I like to rehearse as much as possible with
the actors. Filmmakers who inspire you?
Claire Denis, Julie
Dash, Kelly
Reichardt. Your
favourite movies?
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Feeling lucky ?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results ?
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The links below
will take you
just there!!!
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Beau Travail by Claire Denis, In The Mood For Love by Wong Kar Wai,
Visitors by Godrey Reggio.
... and of course, films you really
deplore?
I tend to forget movies if I hated them. Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else?
www.arieltangomovie.com
Facebook: Ariel Tango Movie Instagram: arieltangomovie
Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask?
My husband and I won the Buenos Aires Tango Championship in 2014. I
think I am the only Canadian who can claim that title! Thanks for the
interview!
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