In continuing to reveal the programme of the Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF, 17 – 27 October), tickets are now available to the Latvian premiere of the documentary portrait film Tango of Life. The life-affirming piece with a sumptuous score in tango beats by composer Arturs Maskats will show the resistance in the face of a terminal illness and the healing power of dance and cinema on the big screen. A collaboration between directors Erica Liffredo, Krista Burāne, and other Italian and Latvian filmmakers, Tango of Life will have its Latvian premiere at RIGA IFF at the festival’s main venue, cinema Splendid Palace, on 20 October.

The story of Claudio Rabbia is an elegiac proof of the fact that art transcends the boundaries of nationalities and mental and physical capabilities. While realizing that his body is rapidly succumbing to Parkinson’s disease, his flesh and spirit are kept alive by tango. Claudio has fervently promised his wife Ivana that one day, they will dance in Buenos Aires, but they might be running out of time. With tango therapy sessions in Italy interspersed with symphony orchestra rehearsals in Riga, led by the healing rhythms of dance, the main characters represent a triumph of the power of music over physical challenges.

In the documentary sonata by the Italian director Erica Liffredo and the Latvian film and theatre director Krista Burāne, the story of Claudio and Ivana echoes the metaphor of needing two to tango. Claudio’s passion for tango has led him to composer Arturs Maskats, whose musical swirls have become an incredibly potent medicine. Inspired by the close bond with Claudio, the composer, together with the star accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, has created a musical piece in the poignant mood of tango. The creation of the score intertwines with the emotional journey of the film and tugs at the heartstrings. The film was co-created by the crew of the RIGA IFF’s opening film – documentary The Rossellinis (2020), namely producer Raffaele Brunetti and editor Ilaria de Laurentiis, as well as co-producer Uldis Cekulis and cinematographer Valdis Celmiņš from film studio VFS Films.

Tango of Life Latvian premiere in a special screening with the presence of the film’s main characters, Claudio Rabbia and Ivana Revelli, as well as the film’s composer Arturs Maskats, will take place on the first Sunday of RIGA IFF, 20 October, 17.00, at cinema Splendid Palace’s Large Hall. The premiere of the film is supported by the Embassy of Italy in Latvia. Tickets are available on the festival website, rigaiff.lv, and at Biļešu Serviss box offices.

From 17 to 27 October, RIGA IFF will delight the senses of filmgoers with more than 100 screenings of bold and fresh filmmaker visions, selected from the world’s most prestigious film festival programmes, as well as from the kindred Baltic Sea region cinema. Until the full festival programme announcement on 17 September, RIGA IFF will continue to reveal other highly artistic works of this year’s programme – films awarded at Rotterdam, Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and other film festivals, as well as bold hidden gems of contemporary cinema. Follow festival updates on rigaiff.lv and festival social media accounts, as well as by subscribing to RIGA IFF newsletter.

RIGA IFF’s main partner is the media and technology company Tet. The festival is made possible with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation, EU programme “Creative Europe – MEDIA”, Riga City Council, and the National Film Centre of Latvia.