The IBCC has a theatre dedicated specifically for films and documentaries exploring Middle Eastern dance and culture at the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre.
Between Two Notes
Indeed, what do Cairo, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Damascus and Aleppo have in common? Beyond the conflicts that continue to rock the Middle East, these cities share a common heritage: that of classical Arab music. Filmmaker Florence Strauss sets out from Paris in search of the roots of this timeless art, while uncovering a partially unknown and hidden aspect of her own heritage. Out of the void and absence rises the moving voice of catharsis. It is a double quest that is filled with a variety of encounters - a road movie that pays tribute to the musicians and poets who, through their art, embody and perpetuate a part of Middle Eastern history. An ode in praise of cultural fusion and the acceptance of otherness, the film celebrates the sensuousness and generosity of a land once associated with the Garden of Eden. Between Two Notes is, above all, music from the heart. With a thousand and one nuances, it conveys the history of our humanity in all its complexity.
Viewing: Saturday April 22, 4:45pm, HCCC
Latcho Drom
Latcho Drom (Rom for "safe journey") describes the travels, singing and dancing of Romany groups from Rajahstan (India), Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France, and Spain. With no dialogue or narration, the film illustrates the variety of conditions in which the Romany people live--earthbound nomads in the hot deserts of Asia, ironsmiths and abjectly poor tree-dwellers in the frozen plains of Eastern Europe, and craftspeople and traders in the hills and sea sides of North Africa and Western Europe. It also illustrates the similarities in travel habits, musical tones (spoons, open drums, and string-based rhythms) and song themes (celebration of travel and perceived rejection by sedentary locals).
Viewing: Thursday April 24, 4:45pm, HCCC
Bellydance Man
How does a son of Sri Lanka - raised on the rough and tumble Canadian prairies - fare onstage in San Francisco, Toronto, London and Cairo...as a male belly dancer? As one of the few professional male Oriental dancers in North America, Viraj Wanigasekera has spent years honing his mind and body with this art. And for those same years, it's been a struggle: mastering the discipline while trying to pay the rent; deciding between a calling as performer or getting a "real" job with his biochemistry degree; nurturing a career at home while craving the lure of big cities and glamorous competitions.
Viewing: Sunday April 25, 4:45pm, HCCC
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