Actress Sara Matos stars in the television series ‘Marquesa de Alorna,’ focusing on the writer Leonor de Almeida Portugal, currently filming until mid-July, as announced by the production company Ukbar Filmes.
‘Marquesa de Alorna’ is a six-episode series for RTP, inspired by a biographical novel by Maria João Lopo de Carvalho. It revolves around Leonor de Almeida Portugal (1750-1839), a writer, educator, and translator, whose poetic works were only published posthumously.
“From the convent in Lisbon to the extravagant court of Vienna, we will unveil the secret stories of a fearless Marquise leading to the awakening of a woman: the first loves, betrayals, the birth of her children, the first losses,” the synopsis states.
The series is directed by Tiago Alvarez Marques, known for ‘Madre Paula’ and the yet-to-be-released ‘Cold Haven.’ The script is penned by Pandora da Cunha Telles, Mário Cunha, Cláudia Clemente, and Rafael do Carmo Afonso.
Alongside Sara Matos, the cast includes Sandra Faleiro, Cristóvão Campos, Albano Jerónimo, Joana Solnado, Rita Rocha Silva, Soraia Chaves, Miguel Borges, among others.
Filming began in late May, with locations in Lisbon, Almeirim, and Salvaterra de Magos (Santarém).
In 2023, when the series project was presented at the Iberseries co-production forum in Spain, producer Pablo Iraola from Ukbar Filmes highlighted to Variety the importance of telling the story of Marquesa de Alorna as it “elicits a reflection on the role of women in society, both in the past and present.”
“Despite the tremendous changes in our world, women still face an ongoing struggle to claim their rightful place in a patriarchal society,” stated the producer in 2023.
‘Marquesa de Alorna’ is co-produced with Spain’s Tornasol Media, in partnership with RTP.
