Brazil trains 14 women executives to sell film and TV abroad

Fourteen women who run Brazilian film and television businesses will finish an 88-hour online export course in November, in the first push to bring the audiovisual sector into Brazil's Elas Exportam scheme.

The project was in focus on a panel at RioMarket, the business section of the Rio Film Festival, according to Variety. It is organised by Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC). The goal is practical: build leadership skills so women-led companies can sell films and series abroad.

This is the sixth edition of Elas Exportam, and the first to include audiovisual. MDIC decided to create the programme in 2023, after a 2022 study titled 'Women in Foreign Trade: An Analysis for Brazil' found only 14.5% of exporting companies in Brazil had a majority of women among shareholders, Variety reported.

The screen course began in July with a class led by Walkiria Barbosa. She is executive director of the Rio Film Festival and head of international marketing, and president of the Audiovisual Industry and Commerce Federation (FICA).

Classes run once or twice a week. The teachers are Brazilian women with experience exporting local productions. They also give one-on-one advice. Mentors volunteer their time. Participants pay nothing.

MDIC chose the group in May. The 14 women come from seven states, with most based in Rio and Sao Paulo. They are owners, executives and directors of production, post-production and dubbing companies looking to establish themselves in the international market.

Three names framed the RioMarket discussion. Debora Ivanov, partner at Gullane Filmes and president of Instituto +Mulheres. Janaina Silva, director of MDIC's Department of Export Promotion and Trade Facilitation. Raquel Lemos, a lawyer and one of the programme's mentors.

Earlier editions worked with very different trades. Elas Exportam has brought visibility to women-led companies in food, fashion, beauty and video games. The audiovisual intake extends that model to producers, post houses and dubbing studios.

What makes this stand out is the plumbing. Exporting a series is paperwork as much as premiere. Contracts, delivery schedules, co-production rules, sales markets. A free course led by working exporters shortens that learning curve fast.

For viewers, this means more routes for Brazilian stories to travel. Fourteen companies. One shared toolkit. A finish line in November.