“The Legend of the Golden Hearts” premieres today in the city that inspired it

A Praça da República, in Viana do Castelo, will today be the stage for the world premiere of the animated film “Viana – The Legend of the Golden Hearts”, performed by Rodrigo Carvalho, with production of Watermelon Productions.

Five days before the premiere in the national cinemas, the film will be shown “in a tent with reserved access to guests”, while the “public can also follow the performances, through the panels installed abroad”, according to information from the municipality shared this week through social networks.

Watermelon Productions' feature film will be aired in Beverly Hills in the United States at a special event with red carpet on December 2, after a week on Lumiere Cinema, which qualifies it to be eligible for Oscars, according to producer Rui Lima Miranda.

The production believes that “Viana” has trump cards in the soundtrack and music, with five original songs and the participation of Ângelo Freire on Portuguese guitar and Nuno Bettencourt, winner of a Grammy, on electric guitar.

“ We are very excited about the possibility of, at least in soundtrack and in the best song, always going to ‘shortlisted’ with these two categories,” Rui Lima Miranda told Lusa at the beginning of the month.

According to the producer, the film had a budget of ten million euros that does not include public support, except for tax incentives for production.

The director explained that the idea was to create a beautiful and exciting story for the origin of the Viana Hearts, taking creative freedom to associate the Vianese tradition with the “golden heart” of the Portuguese people.

“ What if it was the generosity of the Portuguese to make this story born?”, said Rodrigo Carvalho, about the motto of the argument, explaining that the story took about seven years to reach the big screen.

The development team spent some time in Viana do Castelo visiting the Museum of the Costume, the streets of the city and getting to know the most emblematic buildings to ensure the genuineity of the images, said Rui Lima Miranda, explaining that his wife is a native of the city and the family lives the traditions with intensity.

In Viana do Castelo, the cinemas of the shopping center Estação Viana, closed since January, reopen next Thursday to accompany the premiere of the film.

“Viana – The Legend of the Golden Hearts” – which will have an English version – has the voices, among others, of Daniela Melchior, Pêpê Boyote, Melânia Gomes, Vasco Palmeirim and Nuno Markl.