The Man Who Stole Portugal: A Con Artist’s Rise to Power

Production Details

Title: The Man Who Stole Portugal

Format: Feature Film

Production Begins: April 2026

Filming Location: Liverpool, UK – Lisbon, Portugal – South Africa

Producer: Mike Elliott

Director: Thomas Napper

Line Producer: Deborah Aston

Director of Photography: David Luther

Synopsis

In 1920s Portugal, charming young opportunist Artur Alves Reis refuses to stay poor in a country rigged for the powerful. Armed with forged documents, nerves of steel, and a genius for manipulation, he pulls off an unthinkable scheme: convincing legitimate printers to produce real banknotes for him under false authority. Suddenly awash in money, Reis buys influence, banks, and respectability, rising from obscure hustler to national power broker almost overnight. But as his counterfeit fortune floods the economy, cracks begin to spread through Portugal’s financial system, drawing suspicion from bankers, politicians, and foreign investigators. With every lie breeding a larger one, Reis races to outrun exposure while building an empire on paper. What begins as an audacious con becomes a country-shaking financial time bomb—one man’s dazzling ascent turning into a reckless heist of an entire nation’s trust.

Emu Films

17 Leighton Place
London
NW5 2QL
England, UK

Contact:
info@emufilms.com
Phone:
+44 (0)20 7183 0925

About The Man Who Stole Portugal

Set in 1920s Portugal, the film follows Artur Alves Reis, a young man determined to escape poverty. Utilizing forged documents and a keen sense for deception, he manages to convince legitimate printers to produce counterfeit banknotes. This leads to a rapid rise in wealth and influence, as Reis morphs from a hustler into a powerful figure in the national landscape. However, as his actions begin to destabilize the economy, Reis faces serious threats from wary bankers and investigators. The plot thickens as lies compound and his empire built on deception teeters on the edge of exposure, revealing the fragile nature of trust and authority in a changing world.