Brazilian wonder stars in Hollywood blockbuster

                                                                                                                                                                         Nayara Oliveira/ Ministério do Turismo

It's not just your imagination, and yes, you've seen it before, even if just in photographs or the news. Part of Wakanda, the imaginary realm featured in the new Marvel Comics film Black Panther, which premièred in Brazil on Thursday (15), truly exists, and it is not the first time it stars in a Hollywood blockbuster: we are talking, of course, about the Iguaçu Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, located in the state of Paraná.

The imposing plateaus and 275 waterfalls of the Iguaçu, part of the larger Iguaçu National Park, have been used as a location for dozens of films, brightening up productions like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2017); Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008); 007: Moonraker (1979); If Cats Disappeared From The World (2016); Through the Looking Glass (2017) and Paddington 2 (2017), among many others.

“The Black Panther production team visited us and decided to film in Iguaçu Falls because they have one of the greatest scenic expressions of nature. The parks were created to protect the memory of the features of nations and wildlife. In this sense, cinema can help promote and spread these magnificent expressions of planet Earth," explains Ivan Baptiston, head of the Iguaçu National Park.

Black Panther is an adaptation of the eponymous comic book released in 1966. The film tells the story of superhero T'Challa (Black Panther), king of Wakanda, a highly-advanced, isolated civilisation. When an old enemy reappears, the prince's courage is tested as he is led into a conflict that puts the destiny of Wakanda and the world at risk. His superhero powers include superhuman speed, intelligence and enhanced senses. The waterfalls serve as the backdrop for a story of action and adventure in fiction that also makes incredibly rich reflections on reality.