Brazil’s Elas Exportam Boosts Women-Led Film and Series Exports

Brazil has launched a specialized initiative aimed at transforming the international footprint of its creative industries. The Elas Exportam training program was created to foster film and series exports specifically from women-led companies. Highlighted prominently at RioMarket during the Rio Film Festival, the program stems from a concerted government and industry effort to increase the presence of Brazilian productions abroad. The initiative directly responds to data from a 2022 study revealing that only 14.5 percent of exporting companies in Brazil had a majority of women among their shareholders.

The program is organized by Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, known as MDIC. Janaína Silva, director of MDIC’s Department of Export Promotion and Trade Facilitation, along with industry leaders like Debora Ivanov, a partner at Gullane Filmes and president of Instituto +Mulheres, and lawyer Raquel Lemos, have championed the initiative. They emphasize that empowering female executives and creators is essential for diversifying and strengthening Brazil's cultural economy on the global stage.

The inaugural group of 14 women began their journey in July and is set to complete an intensive 88-hour online training program in November. These participants are owners, executives, and directors representing local film and television production, post-production, and dubbing companies. Their shared objective is to establish their enterprises firmly within the international market. Crucially, the program is entirely free for participants, and the mentors guiding them volunteer their extensive expertise without financial compensation.

Selected in May, the initial cohort hails from seven different Brazilian states, though there is a natural predominance from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the nation's primary audiovisual production hubs. The curriculum was kicked off with a foundational class led by Walkiria Barbosa, the executive director of the Rio Film Festival, head of international marketing, and president of the Audiovisual Industry and Commerce Federation. The structure of the course is designed to be comprehensive and rigorous.

The educational framework bridges technical knowledge with personal development. Classes cover critical subjects such as foreign trade, market intelligence, export operations, financial education, intellectual property, and regulatory frameworks. Simultaneously, the program invests heavily in socio-emotional skills, including strategic positioning, persuasive communication, and professional pitch training. Mentors also provide personalized one-on-one counseling to address the specific challenges faced by each participating enterprise.

According to Debora Ivanov, who brings vast experience from Gullane Filmes—a company that has sold rights to its films and series in over 100 countries and reached audiences in more than 190 nations via streaming—the curriculum is exceptionally robust. Ivanov noted that university curricula and standard foreign trade courses in Brazil rarely match the specialized, high-quality focus of Elas Exportam. By combining deep technical education with mentorship from seasoned professionals, the program aims to ensure that women-led Brazilian companies can navigate and conquer foreign markets effectively.