São Paulo – The beaches of Ceará will no longer be unknown landscapes to adolescents in Syria. They should be shown on Arab television. Series “Morangos com Açúcar” (Strawberries with Sugar), produced by television channel TVI, from Portugal, which is broadcast in Syria, has scenes filmed in Brazil early this month. The series is turned to teen audiences. Apart from Syria, the program is also broadcast in Portugal and Romania.
The Portuguese cast came to Brazil between March 5th and 12th. The scenes were recorded at resort Beach Park, and on beaches of Cumbuco, Flecheiras and Porto das Dunas, where it is set. The Brazilian landscape served as the background for the holidays of the characters. Early this year, the beaches of Ceará and the tourist complex had already served as a site for the recording of part of the series.
The group that was in Brazil was made up of around 40 people, including cast and production team. They filmed five episodes. The cast included João Secundino, Pedro Macedo, Matilde Alçada, Pedro Rodil, Débora Ghira, Diogo Conceição, Anita Costa and Ivo Lucas. Nine European journalists also visited Brazil last weekend to follow the filming.
According to information disclosed by a spokesperson for the Beach Park, the cast’s trip to Brazil for the recording was an initiative of the Tourism Secretariat of the state of Ceará, to promote the state as a tourist option for the international market. The tourist complex already has a representative in Portugal to promote it on the European market.
Series Morangos com Açúcar has already been aired in Brazil and usually appeals strongly to teens in the countries in which it is shown. A series of products for youths is sold under the name of the program, popularly known as MCA. The seasons of Morangos com Açúcar show the daily life of adolescents during a school year and then during their holidays. In the episodes, the characters’ love affairs, fights with colleagues and family life are also portrayed.
This year, the main site for the recording of the scenes in Brazil, Beach Park, was classified by publication Guia Quatro Rodas, one of the main publications in Brazil about tourist sites, as the best water park in the country. The park covers an area of 170,000 square metres and attracts 750,000 tourists a year. Apart from resorts and the attractions of the water park, it includes shops, restaurants and bars.
*Translated by Mark Ament
