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Directed by JASON EBERLY Produced by EDWARD WINTLE / JASON EBERLY / JOHN BUCHER Written by NATHAN HARTMAN Starring MAYTE VALDES CARLOS BARRIONUEVO JADA FACER HARWOOD GORDON
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FILM SYNOPSIS
While visiting an art gallery, a young girl becomes fascinated with a beautiful but overlooked painting of a beckoning woman. Sensing the girl's curiosity, the gallery curator tells her the story of the paintings origin. Set in 1940s Argentina, the legend speaks of a painter and his chance encounter with a vibrant tango dancer who captures both his heart and paintbrush. But when she suddenly disappears from his life, the painter is unable to finish her portrait or resume life as normal. Obsessed and despondent after losing his new muse, he sets off on a quest to find her and rekindle their romance. What he finds is not what he expects and the tango, a dance that once brought them together, now threatens to tear them apart. A rousing melodrama of love and dance, Nia Del Tango is brought to vivid life through the talents of renowned tango dancers Carlos Barrionuevo and Mayte Valdes.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
I'll admit it; I'm a dance fanatic. I grew up surrounded by dance and even wanted to be a choreographer before catching the movie-making bug. As a film student, I was lucky enough to create a short film with Broadway dancer Evan Kasprzak. Called "After Hours," the short was my glitzy homage to classic MGM musicals and it had a successful run in the festival circuit. This became the first project in a proposed short film trilogy where a style of dance would take center stage in a narrative story. Following graduation and a move to Los Angeles, I met budding producer Edward Wintle and pitched him the idea for the second film in the trilogy. Originally conceived as an homage to Cyd Charisse, the project quickly evolved into a cultural story centered around the Argentine tango. The script, written by my frequent collaborator Nathan Hartman, was drafted in early 2010 and Edward found a few private investors to back the project. After a turbulent first year of pre-production, the project finally became a reality once we attached the talented Carlos Barrionuevo and Mayte Valdes as the two lead characters. Interwoven with themes of remorse and obsession, "Nia Del Tango" is a passion project of mine that truly embodies the soul of the Promotional photo featuring the films stars dance. From development to completion, I learned so much about the tango and how it could be better classified as a lifestyle. It was an honor to work with such a storied dance and the masters whose movements tell the story. At this beginning stage in my filmmaking career, I strive to create films that invoke escapism, a sense of wonder, and the nostalgia of old Hollywood. I believe that "Nia Del Tango" contains the spirits of both tango and classic cinema. Jason Eberly
PRODUCTION NOTES
Two Hollywood Assistants Make a Film In the spring of 2010, while working as assistants at a big Hollywood agency, recent college graduates Jason Eberly (director/producer) and Edward Wintle (producer) began collaboration on a short film. What started as a five minute, $1,000 project quickly blossomed into something that was much larger in scope. Working tirelessly around their assistant jobs, the duo met late on work nights and on weekends to create a project involving one of the world's most powerful art forms: the tango. The film was originally developed for budding dancer/actress Jeanine Mason. But when she could not commit, the film nearly fell apart. In spring of 2011, after months of endless searching, Eberly and Wintle happened upon a YouTube video of world-renowned tango dancers, Carlos Harwood Gordon and Jada Facer Barrionuevo and Mayte Valdes. They were perfect as the films two leads. Barrionuevo and Valdes, who had never acted on camera before, were excited by the prospect and immediately committed to the film. Just a few months after attaching the leads, principal photography commenced and the film finally became a reality. With a crew of talented young professionals (all under the age of 30) and a budget of $30,000, the film was shot for five days in the blistering heat of the California desert. When the dust settled after post-production, it was evident that all the hard work was worth it. This was a project to be proud of and it was made possible through the dedication and passion of everyone involved.
With a crew of talented young professionals (all under the age of 30) and a budget of $30,000, the film was shot for five days in the blistering heat of the California desert.
During the first rehearsal, all the producers' concerns quickly dissipated; it was immediately clear that Carlos and Mayte were natural-born actors. They were both able to harness the emotional discipline developed from years of tango to create truly profound performances. When asked how they were able to engage with their characters so quickly, Carlos and Mayte revealed that their real-life stories closely paralleled the characters stories in the film. It seemed that the producers' yearlong casting process had led them to the actors who'd always been meant to star in their film. For that, they have YouTube and a little bit of luck to thank.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Exact Runtime: Camera: Print Details: Film Sound: Aspect Ratio: Languages Spoken: Date of Completion: Country of Production: 24 minutes & 59 seconds RED ONE (Mysterium-X) Color, Stereo Dolby Digital 2.35 (SCOPE) Spanish (subtitled) and English May 2012 United States of America
Programming Descriptors: Forms: Genres: Niches: Narrative Fiction, Short Drama, Romance, Dance, Independent, Period/Historical, Culture Hispanic, Latino