LISBON, Portugal — Directors Laura Cortes and Joey Whitelaw announce the launch of The Locals, a web docuseries that follows the intimate, untold stories of immigrants who have chosen to build their lives in Portugal.
The series opens with "Lily" — a portrait of a Chinese woman who left her former life behind to open a café in Lisbon. Over the course of an unscripted conversation, Lily reflects on distance, belonging, and the quiet rituals that turn a foreign city into a home.
"Every person who moves to a new country carries two worlds inside them. The Locals is an attempt to sit quietly with that."
— Laura Cortes, DirectorThe Locals is an ongoing web docuseries filmed in and around Portugal. Each episode is a portrait: one person, one story, one place. Subjects are immigrants who chose Portugal for reasons as varied as love, opportunity, safety, or simply the softness of the light.
The series is shaped by a conviction that every immigrant story is both singular and universal — and that slowing down to listen is itself a political act.
Laura Cortes
Director & Producer
Laura is a Creative Director, filmmaker, and immersive experience designer with 20 years building award-winning stories for Google, Disney, Netflix, and more. Born in Portugal and rooted between Lisbon and the world, she brings both the intimacy of a local and the curiosity of a global creator. The Locals is deeply personal — it's her own story too.
Joey Whitelaw
Director & Editor
Joey is a filmmaker and editor based between Toronto and Lisbon, known for his precise, empathetic approach to documentary. He directed the 2025 short doc Crusty Old Bastard. He brings a quiet, observational lens to The Locals, letting subjects breathe and stories find their own rhythm.
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