Praça da República, in the historic center of Viana do Castelo, will host on November 19 the premiere of the 3D animated feature film "Viana, the Legend of the Golden Hearts." The solution of showing the film outdoors arose after the closure in January of the movie theaters in the city, which left the municipality without commercial cinematic offerings.
The mayor of Viana do Castelo, Luís Nobre, said that the premiere will be "Hollywood-style with a red carpet," taking advantage of the public space and some monuments that appear in the film. The municipality approved another support of 150,000 euros to the producer Watermelon for the international promotion of the film, inspired by the legends of the capital of Alto Minho.
The Portuguese film, directed by Rodrigo Carvalho with a budget of approximately 15 million euros, features the voices of Daniela Melchior, Pêpê Rapazote, Diogo Piçarra, Luke Newton, Michael McElhatton, Melânia Gomes, Vasco Palmeirim, and Nuno Markl, among others. The musical direction is by Simon Wadsworth and the soundtrack includes guitarists Nuno Bettencourt and Ângelo Freire. The feature film will have two versions, in Portuguese and in English.
Luís Nobre reiterated that the city council is working on reopening the commercial cinema, meeting with the management of the shopping center Estação Viana and the exhibitor Cineplace. The municipality advocates maintaining that function, considering that it was a condition imposed in the licensing of the construction of the shopping center. The film will premiere simultaneously in Viana do Castelo and in national and international movie theaters.
