April 25th in series produced by SP Televisão
Two SP Televisão series for RTP, CONTA-ME COMO FOI and DEPOIS DO ADEUS, evoke April 25, 1974, fictionalizing the event but respecting the facts, with historical accuracy.
The series CONTA-ME COMO FOI, an adaptation of a Spanish original, starring Rita Blanco and Miguel Guilherme, proved to be a notable television success throughout 2007/2011 and 2019/2023, with the production of around 150 episodes.
The series tells the story of the Lopes family over the years, beginning in 1968. The family's story intertwines with the events of the time, making it possible to follow the social, economic and political changes that took place in Portugal in the period from the late 1960s to the revolution of April 25, 1974.
The first episode was broadcast by RTP on April 22, 2007. The series begins in March 1968 with the arrival of television at the Lopes family home, just in time for the Festival da Canção. The last episode of the fifth season was broadcast on April 25, 2011, with the Lopes living the same day in 1974.
In February 2019, RTP decided to resume production of the series, with 52 more episodes, now with the plot set in the 80s. The first episode of the sixth season was broadcast on December 7, 2019, with the Lopes family celebrating the new year of 1984.
The series had three more seasons (52 episodes), covering the historical period between 1984 and 1987.
As in the series CONTA-ME COMO FOI, which intimately and captivatingly portrays the life of a Portuguese family during the 1960s and 1970s, the Carnation Revolution, which took place on April 25, 1974, reveals the dramas and hopes of an entire nation.
The characters in the series face the challenges of an era marked by dictatorship and social change, and the Portuguese who took part in the revolution were looking for a new narrative for the country, an environment of freedom, justice and democracy.
The members of the Lopes family face their own personal battles forced to deal with moral dilemmas and internal conflicts, just like the Portuguese citizens who faced their fears and uncertainties when challenging an authoritarian regime and claiming their rights.
Through these two parallel realities, both the series and the Carnation Revolution remind us of the importance of telling our country's story, learning from the past and fighting for a fairer and more inclusive future.
DEPOIS DO ADEUS was a series of 26 episodes, broadcast in 2013, focusing on the lives of the so-called returnees, the inhabitants of the former colonies who were forced to return to mainland Portugal as a result of the decolonization process resulting from the revolution of April 25, 1974.
The series DEPOIS DO ADEUS offers a portrait of the challenges and sacrifices faced by a family of "returnees" who, with the escalation of violence in Angola at the time of the civil war, set sail for Portugal along with five hundred thousand people, forced to leave everything they had achieved throughout their lives behind.
As we follow the journey of Álvaro and Maria do Carmo Mendonça, together with their children, Ana and João, we are brought to witness the painful circumstances that many Portuguese faced during that turbulent period.
Like thousands of other families, the Mendonça's are forced to abandon everything they have built up over the course of their lives due to the growing violence in Angola and the political instability that followed the civil war. Their journey to Portugal, along with half a million other people, symbolizes not only a physical migration, but also an emotional and spiritual journey, in which they will be confronted with loss, uprooting and the uncertainty of the future. The series reminds us of the Portuguese people's resilience and ability to adapt in the face of the historical changes that have shaped our nation, offering a powerful narrative about the strength of family and community in times of adversity.