Private Project

A Wonderful Kingdom

A meditative journey into the heart of the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, A Wonderful Kingdom captures the beauty of Portugal’s Douro Valley at harvest time, its centuries-old traditions, and the spirit of the people who bring the region’s legendary wines to life.

  • Carlos Carneiro
    Director
    The Forge, Killing Waves, Remember the Rain...
  • Nicholas Weissman
    Producer
    For Ahkeem
  • Kalim Armstrong
    Producer
    9 Degrees
  • Miguel Torga
    Writer
  • Malcolm McDowell
    Key Cast
    "Narrator"
    if.... (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Gangster No. 1 (2000)
  • Faisal Azam
    Editor
    St Louis Superman
  • Shervin Shaeri
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Portugal
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Giant Pictures
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Video on Demand, Paid TV
Director Biography - Carlos Carneiro

Carlos Carneiro is an award-winning, NYC based, Portuguese filmmaker.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Ostensibly a film about heritage winemaking, A Wonderful Kingdom is really a love letter to Portugal. My mother’s family hails from the Douro Valley, where wine has been produced continuously since the 1700s.

Naturally, given the history, winemaking is woven into the fabric of the culture, and even into the very contours of the land. But it is also a living metaphor for the bounty that can spring from the harshest conditions, the rewards that can be reaped after long labor, and the symbiotic relationship between humans and the land that nourishes them.

For me, the valley’s fall grape harvest epitomizes this relationship and represents the peak of the year’s activity for this isolated, and normally very quiet region.

It also underscores the importance of tradition: how it shapes the character of a land and tempers the spirit of a people. 

In the Douro Valley, that spirit is rugged and enduring. Generation after generation, despite the dust, drought, extreme weather, and harsh land, the labors of winemaking yield beauty, joy, and unique varieties that delight the senses of people all over the world. It is this triumph of the human will to create something of value through hard work and cooperation, under tough conditions, that inspired me to make this film. It is an homage to the Transmontanos, the sons and daughters of the terrain, the magic makers, the ones who leave their mark on some of the most celebrated wines of the Old World, and are the unassuming builders of their “kingdom.” 

Though I live and work in New York City, I have always been and remain enamored with Portugal. Ultimately, I wanted to create a film that would prompt Portuguese viewers to say, with pride, “Yes, that is my Portugal,” and move many more non-Portuguese viewers to acknowledge: “Indeed, that is a Wonderful Kingdom. That is a place I would like to know more about.”