Director André Badalo invites «the whole Algarve, but more intensely Faro and Olhão", to appear next Sunday, November 27th, in Olhão, in the filming of the last scenes of his film "Portugal is not for sale", which will premiere in 2017.
«On Sunday, November 27th, we are going to shoot some of the final scenes of the film and we need people of all ages, with the will and the will, the will to change. We are going to film a big demonstration, the demonstration that will demand change in our country, against corruption and for our future. This demonstration will be led by actors Pedro Teixeira and Rita Pereira», explained the director, in program interview Impressions, produced in partnership by Rádio Universitária do Algarve and by Sul Informação.
“I invite people to come and participate and shout out loud that Portugal is ours and not for sale!” urged André Badalo.
«Show up, come and be part of a film that will be in every movie theater in the country, with which we all identify, and that we will have the pleasure, for the rest of our lives, to have been part of a film that it is ours and it can change our country».
And how can people from Algarve interested in participating get in touch with the production? André Badalo says that the team will be filming in Olhão throughout the 27th of the month and that they will «indicate where we will be filming».
In any case, anyone who wants to register can send an email, indicating their details, to [email protected]. The director only requires one thing: that they be people "with guts" and willing to shout out loud that "Portugal is not for sale".
But it won't be just as extras that there will be people from Algarve in this feature film. «We have discovered fantastic Algarvians that have entered the project, some in secondary roles with great prominence, some even with immense prominence».
The filming of the final scenes will take place in several places in the Algarve between the 22nd of November and the 1st of December. «We will now be filming the great story that crosses all the others, with Pedro Teixeira, who is D. Sebastião, with Rita Pereira, who is a soldier, daughter of a captain from Abril, with Ana Zanatti, who is the mythical prime minister Jéssica Fátinha, with Alberto Magassela and Sofia Baessa».
André Badalo: «This film is a tragic-comedy about the day Portugal went on sale. We have the history of the Dias family, where there is D. Sebastião, where there is the Padeira de Aljubarrota, in this case in São Brás, where there is Queen D. Leonor, many heroes of national history are revisited nowadays.
We are living in a moment of gigantic crisis, the country is bankrupt, it is the centenary of the apparition of Fatima, and we have this Portuguese thing: one day someone will appear who will save us.
And what happens is that it's not someone from the outside who saves us, it's not a prime minister, who happened to come from the United States and that's Jessica Fátinha, no!
Dom Sebastião is an unlikely hero. It's him and the rest of his family, the common people, who end up realizing that we're going to lose our country, we're not going to have a future: What's it like? It will have to be us! And it is these unlikely heroes who actually save the country».
By the way, as it was already noticed by this exhibition, «Portugal is not for sale» has a luxury cast, with some of the best actors – and even musicians – in Portugal.
André Badalo enumerates: «in the film, Dalila Carmo, São José Correia, Marina Mota, Maria Vieira, António Capelo, Silvia Rizzo, Pedro Granger, Tiago Teotónio Pereira, Joana Ribeiro, Paulo Pires, André Nunes, Io Apoloni, Maria José Pascoal, Pedro Carvalho, Cucha Carvalheiro, Luisa Origoso, Luís Represas, Diogo Piçarra, Ala dos Namorados»…«It's crazy!», he admits, with a laugh.
And how is it possible to pay fees to all these people?
Despite assuring that «no one is making the film for free», André Badalo explains that the idea of «we can change something with this film» attracted the actors. "There is a love and passion here stronger than anything else, because we knew, right from the start, that, without funding, things would be more complicated in terms of fees."
In fact, underlined the young director, with his characteristic enthusiasm, the film, being a comedy, was not considered eligible to receive official State support for the production of national cinema.
«In this film, we didn't have public support, but we got specific funding from City Councils that had the sensitivity and vision to understand that a film like this, promoting certain places, could be advantageous». These Municipal Councils are: Olhão, Tavira, São Brás de Alportel, Vila do Bispo and Loulé.
«It was with these small occasional supports that we managed to make this film a reality», with the help of a strong investment from its own production company, the Original Features, and also of "a wonderful team, a fantastic cast, who gave their heart and soul."
André Badalo, who has also given his heart and soul to this project, admits that the fact that the film's distribution, through Lusomundo, is already guaranteed throughout the country, with the feature film being shown in many movie theaters. national cinema, in a strong bet, also helped to gather the luxury cast.
“We're going to have a big movie in 2017!” he says, his eyes shining.
And you already know: if you want to be part of this film, show up on the 27th in Olhão, willing to demonstrate and shout against the sale of this country of ours.
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