Caracol Studios is an award-winning boutique production company based in Lisbon, creating bold, internationally driven films and series. Our recent series Irreversível was selected as one of the 10 most anticipated drama series worldwide at 2024 MIPDrama and won the 2025 Portuguese Golden Globe for Best Fiction Project.
The world keeps changing.
Stories travel faster than ever.
Borders blur.
Platforms multiply.
Audiences expect more, and feel more.
One thing remains constant: Caracol Studios is here to tell stories that matter.
Founded in Lisbon in 2016, Caracol Studios (also known as Caracol Protagonista) is an independent, award-winning production company with a distinctly international outlook and a deeply human core. From our very first feature, we set out to create bold, socially urgent stories with global reach, and we never looked back.
What kind of content do we make?
A debut feature about human trafficking that becomes one of the most watched Portuguese films of the year and sells to over 30 territories worldwide? Yes.
International productions that premiere at major festivals, secure global sales, and resonate across cultures? Yes
A MIPDRAMA Cannes-selected, Portuguese Golden Globe-winning drama series led by complex female protagonists and acquired internationally? Absolutely.
Prestige cinema. High-end drama series. International co-productions. Emerging voices. Established talent. Stories rooted in reality but elevated by strong cinematic vision.
If it’s powerful, if it’s urgent, if it has something to say: we’re interested.
Caracol is led by Joana Domingues, producer and former journalist, former Board Member of the European Film Academy, and participant in some of Europe’s most prestigious talent and leadership programs, including Match Me! Locarno, ACE Mentorship and Series Women 2025. Under her leadership, Caracol has become one of the most internationally active Portuguese production companies today, with every project premiering at festivals, securing strong distribution, and resonating far beyond its country of origin.
Our films and series have tackled themes such as human trafficking, child disappearance, extremism, xenophobia, illegal adoption, mental health, reproductive rights, grief, and addiction, always through compelling characters and emotionally driven narratives.
We believe cinema and television are not just entertainment, but tools for empathy, awareness, and change.
From Carga to Sombra, from Pátria (Homeland) to Shadow- a Mother Knows, to the Outlaws and Irreversible, from national premieres to global sales, Caracol’s work has been selected for and awarded at festivals and Markets such as Shanghai International Film Festival, Raindance, Conecta Fiction, MIPTV, Mastercard Off Camera, Italian Global Series Festival, and recognized with nominations and awards by institutions including the Portuguese Film Academy Sophia Awards, Portuguese Golden Globes and international juries across Europe, Asia, and USA.
Today, our slate spans feature films and series in development, production, and post-production across Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, and the UK, often in ambitious co-production frameworks designed to bring local stories to global audiences.
Tomorrow?
More stories. New voices. Bigger risks. Deeper impact.
The industry will keep evolving. Platforms will change. Formats will expand.
And we’ll still be here: championing filmmakers, supporting bold visions, and producing exceptional content with purpose.
Caracol Studios. Independent. International. Story-driven.
This is our world.
Welcome.