In “La Catedral”, a 200-year-old granary in Buenos Aires, some of the towns best dancers join for the weekly tango ball. The film narrates the story of these dancers and their ancestors in 12 tangos, including feelings of failed hope, crisis, immigration and emigration. The past, the present and the future of our protagonists also reflect the history of the tango itself, and give an accurate impression of present-day Buenos Aires. For the documentary feature “12 Tangos“ Arne Birkenstock and his musical Director Luis Borda have assembled a true Argentine Tango all-star orchestra with Juan José Libertella, Jorge Sobral, Julio Pane, Lidia Borda, Luis Borda and many more.
When the tango was created, their grandparents, who had come from Italy and Spain, were among the millions of immigrants stranded at the Rio de la Plata. Today, their grandchildren are heading in the opposite direction: back to Europe. In “12 Tangos“, recorded live in “La Catedral”, the hottest tango hall in town and performed by some of Argentina’s finest musicians, the film narrates very touching and personal stories of crisis and immigration – and connects the sentiments of its protagonists with the music, the lyrics and the dance steps of the tango. The film’s main attention focuses on the 71-year-old professional tango dancer Roberto Tonet, the 20-year-old dancer Marcela Maiola and the four children of Yolanda Zubieta. Roberto lost his savings during the banking crisis, his dancing partner Marcela is preparing her emigration to France. Yolanda Zubieta also travels to Europa in order to earn money and leaves her children behind.
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