40 Years of Memories

Vila Galé celebrates 40 years of history with a new film directed by Leonel Vieira.

Vila Galé marked its 40th anniversary with the launch of a new film directed by Leonel Vieira. The film premiered on 27 June during the group’s official anniversary celebration.

The documentary was filmed at Vila Galé Collection Braga, chosen as a setting representative of the brand’s portfolio, and portrays the history, essence and hospitality that have shaped Vila Galé’s journey over the past four decades.

The film was presented in the presence of director Leonel Vieira, who marked the project’s premiere and explained the inspiration behind the work. “The inspiration for this film came from the idea that the true value of a hotel lies not only in the space itself, but in the memories created there. More than presenting Vila Galé as a destination, we wanted to look at the hotel as a place where stories unfold: meetings, reunions, conversations, gestures of affection and emotions that often stay with us forever.”

The film tells the story of two couples at different stages of life: one experiencing the excitement of young love, still discovering itself, and the other living a more mature love shaped by the passage of time. Photography serves as a representation of memory, preserving the moments, the people and the places that remain with us throughout life.

Sunflowers, which appear throughout the narrative, reinforce this idea of continuity, connecting different moments in the story and symbolising the enduring nature of certain gestures and emotions.

Through this narrative, the film conveys a simple message: we do not remember the days; we remember the moments. This is the idea Leonel Vieira sought to portray, showing how Vila Galé hotels create and embrace the memories that stay with us.