Project
A Chinese view about Argentinean folklore
Agreement between Zhang Yuan and Marbiz

For the first time there will be a coproduction between Argentina and China as a consequence of an agreement recently signed at the Cannes International Film Festival between the Chinese Director Zhang Yuan and Julio Marbiz, from whom came up with the idea of reflecting on an ambitious production all the folklore and tango rhythms from our country. “The shooting of this film which title is Argentinisima Folk – Tango, Los Sonidos del Alma – explains Marbiz – will start on the next few months and it will help to show to China and other countries our native music. According to the agreement reached with Zhang Yuan, the movie will be premiered next year.

-How did you start your relationship with Zhang Yuan?
-This Chinese director was recognized as one of the most prominent of the sixt generation filmmakers of his country. On 1996, during my administration as Director of the National Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute I invited him to participate on the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, that was restored during that period, and there he presented his film Dong gong xi gong from which he was awarded with the Silver Ombu for Best Director and Script. During that time our friendship was born, which got stronger on our trips, on 1997 and 1998, to the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals. In 1999 I ask him to be part of the Jury of the Mar del Plata Festival which was preside by Catherine Deneuve; it was then when he first showed interest for folklore and tango music.

-The film will have a plot or it will be a series of musical stamps?
-It will be a fictional documentary with a fine plot, and for that I called Eugenio Zanetti as a cinematographic advisor and Antonio Tarrago Ros to compose the films sound track. The film will be starred by Los Nocheros, Chaqueño Palavecino, Horacio Guarany, Hugo Marcel, Guillermo Galve, Cuti, Roberto y Roxana Carabajal, Jaime Torres and the group Las Cien Guitarras Mercedinas, amongst others.

-The shooting of this film is, without any doubts, a tribute to Argentinisima, that this year is celebrating four decades on television and radio.
-I`ve always wanted to spread all the magic and passion of folklore and that’s how Argentinisima was born, a way to sing to the earth, of loving it with passion and understand her. Many of the songs played in this movie, were conceived on the Argentinísima radio and TV shows, and have been warmly welcomed and loved by the people who have made them classics with their applause and kept them in their souls. To be able to transport this entire musical luggage to a movie directed by Zhang Yuan, a Chinese that embraced the emotive of the songs and the music of our country reaches all of mi highest expectations. But, also, Argentinisima will celebrate its forty years from Thursday September 17 to Sunday October 25 with a series of shows that, along with Nito Artaza, we will present on the Broadway Theatre, the same theatre in which on 1972 and on 1973 premiered the two Argentinisima films that were directed by Hector Olivera along with Fernando Ayala, which had big audience success.

Adolfo C. Martínez