Award-winning ‘Tango Shalom’ among several featured films
Jos and Claudio Laniado were just boys when their family fled Egypt.
Anti-Semitism was on the rise and the family moved to Argentina, where Jos would sit on a windowsill and watch dancers in the street.
The family faced bigotry in Argentina, too, and moved to New York, where Jos and Claudio still live. Jos taught at a public school and started working on films and TV shows, including “Jessica Jones,” “As the World Turns” and “Law and Order.”
The brothers are now award-winning filmmakers, and their latest project, “Tango Shalom,” will be showcased at the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, which begins Feb. 24. “Tango Shalom” will play at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Virginia Wesleyan University.
The five-day film festival includes “A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto,” “Hester Street” and “Ben Gurion, Epilogue,” footage from a 1968 interview with the first prime minister of Israel.
“Tango Shalom” has won at least 12 awards, including best comedy at the 2021 Montreal Independent Film Festival.
Jos plays Moshe Yehuda — a rabbi and dancer — who is asked by a female dancer to join her in a competition. Yehuda’s school could use the prize money, but his religion forbids him to touch a woman who isn’t his wife, nor to make eye contact with her. He has a dream about the dance and convinces himself it’s a message from God. The film explores his reconciling of his religious views, his community’s need for money and his friendship with three leaders from different religions.
The Laniados wrote it with the late Joseph Bologna, who was nominated for an Oscar for the 1970 “Lovers and Other Strangers.” The three are in the film, along with Bologna’s wife in real life, Emmy Award-winning writer and actor Renée Taylor, known for “The Nanny.” The movie is directed by their son, Gabriel Bologna. Professional dancer Karina Smirnoff also stars.
Jos said dancing and the tango are in his blood. He was inspired to write the movie while dancing the hora, a traditional Romanian and Moldovan folk dance, at an event in Brooklyn.
Jos noticed rabbis drinking and dancing and wondered what would happen if a rabbi received a message from Hashem — God — to dance.
They started filming in 2015 and it took four years in locations throughout New York City and Los Angeles County.
It was released last year.
The project was the first for the brothers’ production company, Convivencia Forever Films, named after a period shortly before 1492 when Muslims, Christians and Jewish people lived and worked together.
“The movie is really a comedy-dance fable with a message of peace and understanding and interfaith dialogue,” Claudio said.
“I really support diversity, equity, inclusion and interfaith dialogue. We have all kinds of people, all kinds of religions, in our movie, and genders and orientations.”
The brothers took their religion into consideration during production, too. For example, they observed the Shabbat, Judaism’s day of rest, while filming.
“As soon as Friday came and the sun came down, we stopped,”
Jos said. “We respected that.”
Joseph Bologna suffered from pancreatic cancer during the filming and the team halted production when he died in 2017.
The delays worked out, Claudio said.
“In 2021, we started going to the festivals and we had enough time to do post-production and to make it a wonderful film which is loved by everyone,” he said.
The brothers said they want the film to bring people together. They also hope to get a distribution deal with Netflix, HBO or another major company. More than anything, they want to encourage others to be kind, even if they have to start small.
“Open the dialogue and be able to share things,”
Jos said. “If we can change some of the world and unite some of the world, that’s what we want with this movie.”
If you go
For details, visit JewishVA. org/filmfest or call 757-3212338.
“A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto”
When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 Where: Cinema Café Kemps River, 1220 Fordham Drive, Virginia Beach
Tickets: $12
“Tango Shalom”
Judi Beecher, who acted in the film, will attend, and there will be a champagne and dessert reception.
When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 Where: Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, Virginia Wesleyan University, 5817 Wesleyan Drive, Virginia Beach. Available to be streamed at home.
Tickets: $25; $12 per household to stream online
“Ben Gurion, Epilogue”
When: 2:30 p.m. Feb. 27 Where: Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, Virginia Wesleyan
Tickets: $12
“Hester Street”
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 28 Where: Naro Expanded Cinema, 1507 Colley Ave., Norfolk
Tickets: $12
This screening is dedicated to longtime Virginian-Pilot film critic Mal Vincent, who supported the festival throughout his career. Vincent died in November.
Saleen Martin, 757-4462027, saleen.martin@ pilotonline.com