Portugal’s Monsanto Village in Beira Baixa stood in for the ancestral home of House Targaryen in 2022’s ‘House of the Dragon.’

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It’s not just about the money when it comes to building a film and TV production hub, and Portugal knows it. That was one of the key messages of a panel of local representatives who discussed “Portugal on Screen” during a session at the inaugural StreamTV Europe in Lisbon, which drew a crowd.

Ana Marques, executive director of the Portugal Film Commission, highlighted the appealing mix of locations, financial incentives and a focus on sustainability as key to making the country attractive for foreign productions. Among the popular fare made in Portugal, she mentioned local Netflix hit drama Turn of the Tide, which has seen three seasons, House of the Dragon, which has featured the historic village of Monsanto as a location, Star Wars series The Acolyte, which was shot on the Portuguese island of Madeira, movie Heart of Stone, and Netflix’s Damsel.

“We want to be aspirational because of our wonderful locations,” Marques said. “We also have our incentives, so we want to be attractive, and we want to be sustainable. Sustainability is really important for us.”

She highlighted how in 2024, the country launched a new and “competitive” incentives scheme for bigger productions “in response to the demand.”

Creating in concert with foreign partners is another key part of the puzzle. “We love to co-produce,” Susana Gato, executive president of APIT, the Association of Independent Television Producers, explained.

A case in point that she noted is Cold Haven, a co-production with Iceland. The psychological thriller series, whose Portuguese title is Refúgio do Medo, was produced by SPi in Portugal and Glassriver in Iceland. The panel also highlighted that Portugal has more than 60 co-production agreements.

Technology is also part of Portugal’s focus in ensuring it is an appealing and successful production hub in the age of digital media and AI. “It’s been about gaining scale, and technology is also part of Portugal’s focus in ensuring it is an appealing and successful production hub in the age of digital media and AI,” says Gil Azevedo, executive director of the Unicorn Factory Lisboa, an initiative launched by Lisbon’s mayor to turn the city into a leading innovation hub.

Marques said at times, as in many countries, Portugal could be even more agile, but her team continues to work with the government and other key partners and stakeholders to fine-tune the country’s appeal for productions. “Despite the film commission only working since 2019, being really recent, we have noticed big interest in Portugal and about the Portuguese conditions to film here,” she shared. “We are now launching a new program for the next four years, so until 2029, with 350 million euros ($412 million) with two different incentives.” And she and her team are ready for more film and TV productions to make the journey to Portugal.

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Portugal, Production Hub: 'House of the Dragon,' 'Turn of the Tide'