Portugal news - Is there a film industry in Portugal? Here are the famous movies filmed in Portugal in 2023 as well as an overview of Portugal’s film industry.
2023 is set to be the Golden Year of the Portuguese film industry that has registered a turnover of around 1.4 billion Euros, with Portugal and France being the main markets. Sales of goods and services from the film industry to the French market have increased by 7.5% in 2023. Moreover, a number of acclaimed international movie productions are shot in Portugal and have led to the creation of over 4,300 companies operating in the Portugal’s film industry.
Here are some of the famous movies filmed in Portugal in 2023:
1 - Fast and Furious Fast X – the movie premiered on May 19, 2023 in the US, with a celebrity cast including Vin Diesel and Charlize Theron and Portuguese production company Sagesse Productions.
The 10th movie in the “Fast and Furious” saga has scenes filmed in Lisbon, Vila Real and Viseu in Portugal. According to the producer, this investment in Portugal was largely possible due to the creation of tax incentives by the Government in 2018. The movie production was an added value for Portugal's economy, since it covered several Portuguese sectors such as construction, machinery, wardrobe, carpentry, among other small businesses.
2 - House of the Dragon – with Portuguese production company Sagesse Productions.
HBO Max Portugal reveals the backstage of the filming in the historic village of Monsanto in a video called “A House of Many Nations: Portugal.” In House of The Dragon, Portuguese film location Monsanto is Dragonstone, the island where the next in line to the Iron Throne usually resides.
3 - Star Wars “The Acolyte” – the movie starring Carrie-Ann Moss from the Matrix films and Amandla Stenberg who played the role of Rue in the first film of The Hunger Games saga, will première in 2024. Scenes were shot on Portugal’s beautiful island of Madeira.
4 – Heart of Stone - the action movie starring Gal Gadot who played Wonder Woman is now showing on Netflix. The movie, by British director Tom Harper, was partly filmed in Lisbon.
5 – Damsel – starring Millie Bobby Brown will be released on Netflix in October. Damsel, by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, includes outdoor scenes shot in Portugal, namely at the Monastery of Batalha, the Convent of Christ that was built by the first great master of the Templars in Tomar, and the village of Sortelha.
6 – A Pinch of Portugal – the Hallmark movie premièred in 2023 and was filmed in the greater Lisbon area including Cascais and Sintra.
7 – After Everything – the Netflix movie that was shot in Portugal will be released in September 2023 in the US.
Portuguese cinema was also in the spotlight in 2023.
Here are the Portuguese movies that received international recognition in 2023:
1 – Living Bad - “Viver Mal” – produced by Portuguese company Midas Filmes. The movie was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlinale Festival 2023 in Germany. Movie director João Canijo stated that this "proves that Portuguese cinema has quality."
2 – Ice Merchants – produced by Cola Animation and director João Gonzalez – the animation was the first Portuguese production to be nominated for the Oscars in Los Angeles. Although the animation did not win the award, it drew the attention of the international media.
3 – The series Turn of the Tide, “Rabo de Peixe” – produced by Augusto Fraga – the movie obtained a phenomenal success on Netflix since it tops the most viewed series in 33 countries. “Rabo de Peixe,” that is the second Portuguese series made entirely in Portugal to join Netflix, after “Glória”, showed the beauty of the Azores archipelago to the world.
Portugal also hosts several international film festivals that cover a wide range of genres in the film industry, including IndieLisboa, Monstra - Lisbon Animation Festival, and MotelX – Lisbon International horror film festival. Portugal’s film festivals bring together distributors, programmers, buyers as well as producers.
International film producers are now exploring Portugal for its incredible potential as a filming location, such as Monsanto that became an iconic site with its inspiring medieval views. With the existing pool of talented professionals, the affordable prices as well as the conducive tax incentives, Portugal’s amazing scenery is now trending in highly acclaimed international movies.
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