Tango movie madness
FILM
It’s the quiet people you really have to watch out for. Musharraf Farooqi, a soft-spoken, clean- cut, published novelist, is a tango fanatic — and he wants the whole city to know about it through his first Cinetango festival.
There are several screenings of tangothemed movies from around the world ( at the NFB Cinema) as well as dance evenings and a couple of other related events, from tomorrow night to Sunday ( see www. cinetango. com).
Farooqui arrived in Toronto 11 years, ago, he says, and soon began trying his feet at ballroom dancing and salsa. But it was the Buenos Aires, Argentinabred tango, in its many forms, that finally seduced him. He loves all things tango so much that he runs his own tango school. Now, he has scoured the world for films with tango- related themes to further his enthusiasm.
Call him a milonga missionary. The films themselves come in three mixed batches of one feature screening with an assortment of shorter works:
Tango Salon, the anchor for Saturday’s two early screenings, is a wonderful BBC docuentary centering on Buenos Aires’ legendary milonga spot, the Confitería Ideal.
The late- Saturday group’s feature is What You Eyes Have Done to Me, an Argentinian documentary about legendary tango singer Ada Falcón. It’s an odd, personal journey which may not connect with a general Canadian viewer.
The strongest movie among the Sunday screenings is Global Tango, which successfully weaves together a love for tango with a broader sense of Argentina’s recent social and economic problems. Just the facts What: Cinetango festival screenings Where: NFB Cinema, 150 John St. When: Sat. @ noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m.; Sun. @ 5 p.m., 8 p.m. Tickets: $35 per group/$90 all films. Info. @ 416-363-2582 or www.cinetango.com