FIRST LOOK REVEALED OF "THE MAN WHO STOLE PORTUGAL"

Principal photography has wrapped on The Man Who Stole Portugal, the new feature from BAFTA-nominated director Thomas Napper (Jawbone, Widow Clicquot), following a shoot across the UK, Portugal and South Africa. A first-look image from the film has been released alongside the announcement.

James Nelson-Joyce (This City is Ours, A Thousand Blows) stars as Alves Reis, an ambitious young outsider determined to build a better life for his wife Maria (Emily Fairn, It Gets Worse, House of Guinness) and their family. In the economic turmoil of 1920s Portugal, Reis discovers how far a forged qualification and a convincing bluff can take him. But what begins as a bid to escape poverty becomes a financial fraud of extraordinary proportions, as Reis secretly acquires millions in genuine Bank of Portugal banknotes, amassing a fortune that threatens to destabilise the country’s entire financial system.

The first-look image captures the grand opening of Reis’ Bank of Angola and Metropole, the crowning achievement of a man who was struggling to find work just a few years earlier. Celebrated as a financial visionary, Reis begins lending money to people the established banks have turned away, winning the admiration of a country desperate for change. But behind his extraordinary rise lies a fraud of unimaginable scale, and the growing question of just how far he can push his luck before it all comes crashing down.

Alongside Nelson-Joyce and Fairn, the ensemble includes Joel Fry (Bank of Dave, Our Flag Means Death) as Jose, Reis’ old schoolfriend and partner in the scheme; Herbert Nordrum (Sense & Sensibility, The Worst Person in the World) as Karel, a flamboyant diplomat who negotiates with the banknote printers; and Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve, F1: The Movie) as Adolf, a sceptical businessman who helps finance the operation. Nia Towle (Persuasion) plays Fie, a glamorous Dutch theatre star who becomes part of Reis’ circle and opens doors to the elite. Richard E. Grant (Wicker, Saltburn) plays Sir William Waterlow, the head of the British printing firm persuaded to produce the banknotes, while Dominic West (War, The Crown) plays Carlos, a newspaper editor whose publication eventually helps expose the fraud.

James Nelson-Joyce said: “I was over the moon to get the chance to play Alves Reis and tell this quite incredible true story. Working with director Thomas Napper and the brilliant cast, in the beautiful city of Lisbon, and the other locations we filmed in, was an absolute joy”

Thomas Napper, Director, adds: “Alves Reis is one of the most audacious criminals of the 20th century and I think what makes him so compelling is his vaulting imagination, combined with a Robin Hood style attempt to share his wealth into the economy with the people that needed it the most.I wanted audiences to get caught up IN this unique crime - and at a time when so many people feel the financial system is stacked against them, there’s something really appealing about an outsider who cracks and hacks the code of the establishment but then uses this imaginatively and selflessly."

Michael Elliott, Producer, said: “We always felt this story deserved to be told on a big scale - they pulled off a $4 billion heist in today’s money - but we were equally determined not to make a conventional period drama. There’s a real boldness to Richard’s screenplay that Thomas and the cast have embraced wholeheartedly. It’s been a hugely ambitious undertaking and I’m incredibly proud of the film we’ve made and excited for audiences to discover it”

Written by Richard Galazka and based on the book by Murray Teigh Bloom, The Man Who Stole Portugal is produced by Michael Elliott for EMU Pictures. Executive producers include Walli Ullah and Jim Mooney for EMU Pictures and Terry Smith for Moviedrome. 

Beta Cinema will launch international sales on The Man Who Stole Portugal at the American Film Market (AFM).