Portugal understands this better than most. From Lisbon’s role as a European production hub to the international appetite for Portuguese-speaking culture, screen visibility has become part of how countries compete for tourism, investment and influence. For the wider Lusophone world, this matters even more. Angola is not a distant story for Portugal. It is a country tied to Portugal through language, history, migration, business, culture and family networks that continue to shape both societies.

That is why Will Smith’s visit to Angola in March 2026 deserves to be examined with far more seriousness than is usually given to celebrity news. Smith visited Luanda as part of a delegation from the E1 League, the world championship for electric powerboat racing, and was received by President João Lourenço at the Presidential Palace. There, they discussed opportunities for cooperation in the audiovisual sector and the promotion of national tourism.

The image carries a symbolic force that anyone can immediately understand: one of the most famous actors on the planet, seated opposite the President of Angola, in a meeting treated with the seriousness of a state-level engagement.

Smith went further. He told journalists that he hoped to film action scenes in Angola for a future instalment of the Bad Boys franchise and even suggested, with the informality of a natural showman, that President João Lourenço take part in a car-racing scene.

Whether or not such a scene ever reaches the screen is almost beside the point. What matters is what the proposal communicates: Angola is a country where a Hollywood star feels safe enough, excited enough and inspired enough to imagine a blockbuster.

For Portugal, this should be more than a curiosity. It points to a wider opportunity for the Portuguese-speaking world to position itself within the global screen economy. Angola has landscapes, music, urban energy, coastal settings and cultural depth that remain underexplored by international cinema. Portugal has production experience, European market access, technical talent, and a growing reputation as a filming destination. Between Lisbon and Luanda, there is the possibility of a more ambitious Lusophone audiovisual corridor.

This is not only about cinema. It is about tourism, trade, soft power and national reputation. New Zealand learned this through The Lord of the Rings. Croatia learned it through Game of Thrones. Colombia learned it through Narcos, for better and for worse. Africa has also begun to write this lesson on its own terms: Nollywood is one of the world’s largest film industries by volume, while countries such as Kenya and Rwanda have worked actively to attract international production.

Angola now has a chance to enter that conversation with a distinctly Lusophone identity. That matters because the global imagination of Angola has too often been shaped by images of war, poverty and instability. These narratives are difficult to reverse through speeches or policy documents alone. They are reversed through images: Will Smith smiling in Luanda, speaking enthusiastically about Angolan culture, and imagining action sequences on the streets of the capital.

The wider context strengthens the point. Luanda is set to host a stage of the E1 World Championship, an event associated with international names such as LeBron James, Tom Brady and Rafael Nadal. Angola is only the second African country to join the circuit, placing Luanda among a growing group of African cities competing for global media attention.

This should be of particular interest to Portugal. The relationship between Portugal and Angola is often discussed through history, diplomacy, energy, banking, migration or business. But culture may become one of the most important bridges of all. A stronger Angolan film and tourism profile would not weaken Portugal’s role; it could strengthen the entire Portuguese-speaking cultural space.

There is a practical argument here too. Portuguese production companies, tourism operators, investors, streaming platforms and creative professionals should be paying attention. Angola’s rise as a possible filming destination could create opportunities for co-productions, technical partnerships, location services, training programmes and cross-market storytelling. A successful international production in Luanda would not only promote Angola. It would also raise the profile of Portuguese-language cinema and audiovisual cooperation more broadly.

This is where the Will Smith visit becomes significant. It is not simply the story of a celebrity in Luanda. It is a sign that Angola is becoming legible to the global entertainment industry in a new way. For a country long viewed through the lens of conflict, that is no small thing.

It will be Angola telling the world, through the most powerful language there is, that this is a country worth being in. And for Portugal, it should also be a reminder that the Portuguese-speaking world is not only a shared past. It can also be a shared cultural and economic future.

By: Taiwo Meghoma