Falcão Among the Industry Professionals Speaking at This Year’s RioMarket

Renato Falcão is ready to talk shop…

The Brazilian filmmaker, a noted cinematographer, producer and director, is among the industry professionals set to speak at RioMarket, the biggest event of the Latin American audiovisual industry hosted by the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival.

Renato Falcão

Falcão, best known as the cinematographer on the blockbuster hit animated films Rio, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Epic and Rio 2, has been invited to discuss the current state of the business at the event, which kicked off on Wednesday.

With a renewed format — dividing its TV and film focuses in separate stints — the RioMarket program includes over 40 discussion panels and seven workshops, gathering more than 200 experts in production, costume design, sound, animation, marketing and other areas.

Other international guests and lecturers this year will be costume designer Janie Bryant (Mad Men), screenwriter Marc Halsey (The Carrie Diaries) and producer Andrew Meyer, among many others in a heavy contingent of Hollywood producers and sales agents looking for the latest Latin American productions.

Brazil’s growing television industry is demanding more local content, as networks need to meet the percentages of locally produced shows that became mandatory by law two years ago. Also, President Dilma Rousseff announced earlier this year a funding package of $540 million to be poured into production, distribution and exhibition. Most of these film projects and formats will be offered to co-producers, sales agents and distributors through RioMarket sections Rio Screenings, One-to-One meetings and FilmShow.

Rousseff: The World’s Most Powerful Latina

For the forth straight year, Dilma Rousseff has managed to retain her title as the most powerful Latina in the world.

Dilma Rousseff

The 66-year-old Brazilian president—the first woman ever to hold that office—ranks No. 4 on Forbes’ recently released The World’s Most Powerful Women 2014 list.

It’s the magazine’s definitive annual guide to the extraordinary female icons and leaders, groundbreakers and ceiling crashers who command the world stage.

Dilma-Rousseff

Rousseff, who dropped two spots from her No. 2 rank in 2013, is heralded as “one of the world’s most powerful heads of state.” She’s more than halfway through her term as president of Brazil, the world’s seventh-largest national economy with a GDP of nearly $2.4 trillion. The country is hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016.

Rousseff criticized the U.S. for spying during her opening speech at the UN General Assembly this fall and cancelled a state visit over reports that the National Security Agency was intercepting her emails.

Mary Barra

Mary Barra, the first woman to head General Motors, moves up 28 spots from last year’s list to come in No. 7 in 2014.

As the highest-ranking woman at GM, the 52-year-old Latina executive has played a vital role in the company’s restoration, successfully overseeing an array of recent vehicle introductions. She has received high-level recognitions for her contributions to her field, including being named the No. 1 most powerful woman in the automotive industry by Fortune and among the “50 Latinas Who Rock Fortune 500 Companies” by Latina magazine.

Barra took the reins of GM in January and in April was summoned to appear in front of the U.S. Congress to answer for faulty ignition switches linked to 13 deaths, saying “I am deeply sorry.” But the 33-year veteran, who began at the company at 18 while working toward an electrical engineering degree, remained poised and confident under fire. Her leadership, she said, will bring about a “new GM” able to regain customer trust.

Maria das Graças Silva Foster

Maria das Graças Silva Foster, the CEO of Brazil’s state-controlled oil company Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil, moves up two spots to come in at No. 16 this year.

The 60-year-old Brazilianbusiness executive escaped a childhood in a favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to become a chemical engineer and later the first female CEO of Petrobras. After 30 years with the company, she has the experience and connections (including Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff) to make running a company with assets exceeding $100 billion work. The company posted $141 billion in sales and it continues to anchor Brazil’s economy as it invests in vast underwater oil field exploration off the nation’s coast.

cristina-fernandez-de-kirchner_729

The next Latina on the list: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who rises from No. 26 in 2013 to No. 19 this year.

The 61-year-old Argentinean president, who reigns over a country with the world’s highest inflation rates, is still trying to make amends with global creditors after the $95 billion default on its foreign debt in 2002. And it’s working: this year marks the first time Argentina has received loans from international creditors since then. The offers, including talk of $1 billion from Goldman Sachs, follows a $500 million settlement with five foreign companies. Kirchner legalized same-sex marriage in 2010, and in April announced she’ll be godmother to a lesbian couple’s child; they made the ask on Facebook.

Here’s a look at the other Latinas on the list…

No. 25 Michelle Bachelet, President, Chile
No. 32 Sofia Vergara, Actress
No. 58 Shakira Mebarak, Singer
No. 89 Gisele Bundchen, Supermodel

Click here to see the complete list of honorees.

Rousseff: The Highest-Ranking Latina on Forbes’ Most Powerful Women List

Dilma Rousseff is not only the most powerful Latina in the world… But, she’s inching her way to being the most powerful woman on the planet.

The 65-year-old Brazilian politician, who has served as her nation’s president – the first woman to hold the office – since January 2011, comes in at No. 2 on Forbes magazine’s annual list of World’s Most Powerful Women.

Dilma Rousseff

Rousseff, who ranked No. 3 on last year’s list, comes in behind only German Chancellor Angela Merkel, this year.

Currently at the midpoint of her first term as president, Rousseff heads the world’s seventh-largest national economy (GDP $2.4 trillion). Despite Brazil’s size, she has been tasked with helping pull the country out of its slowest two years of growth in more than a decade. Her emphasis on entrepreneurship has inspired a new generation of startups.

This year, Rousseff has a new ally in the first-ever Brazilian director-general of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo, who was confirmed in Geneva in early May.

Maria das Graças Silva Foster

Maria das Graças Silva Foster, another Brasilenia on the list, ranks at No. 18 this year, two spots higher than last year.

The 59-year-old Brazilian business executive and chemical engineer serves as the CEO of Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil, Brazil’s state-controlled oil company.

das Graças Silva Foster last year took over the largest company in the Southern Hemisphere by sales ($144 billion) and market value ($120 billion). In 2012 Petrobras produced about 2 million barrels of crude oil daily, and she expects similar levels this year as it develops oil trapped in the Campos Basin in the Atlantic, one of the world’s most promising oil frontiers.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The third Latina on the list is Argentina’s lady in charge, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

The 60-year-old Argentinean president comes in at No. 26 on the list, a drop of 10 spots from last year.

Fernandez de Kirchner, halfway through her second term, is facing some headaches, including massive street demonstrations and accusations that Argentina has been covering up runaway inflation by underreporting the country’s annual rate.

Sofia Vergara

Meanwhile, the first Latina celebrity to make the cut is Sofia Vergara.

The 40-year-old Colombian actress and entrepreneur registers one of the biggest leaps on the list, moving up 37 spots to No. 38.

Vergara, who ranked No. 75 last year, is the top-earning actress on television and the face of a sweeping trend to capture the $1 trillion Hispanic market.

As a member of the cast of ABC’s Modern Family, Vergara is at the top of her game.

In addition to the show, her line of clothing and home goods sold at Kmart is thriving and endorsement deals with Diet Pepsi, CoverGirl, Rooms to Go and thyroid medicine Synthroid make her one of the most in-demand spokespeople.

Behind the scenes Vergara is a cofounder of a 17-year-old talent management and new media company, LatinWE, which pulled in an estimated $27 million last year and which recently launched a social network, NuevoWorld, to connect Latino celebs with their fans.

In May ABC announced that a new series executive produced by Vergara, Killer Women, an adaptation of an Argentine soap opera, will be in its Fall 2013 lineup.

Here’s a look at the other Latinas on the list…

No. 35 Mary Barra, SVP, Global Product Development, General Motors

No. 52 Shakira Mebarak, Actress and Philanthropist

No. 66 Rosalía Mera, Businesswoman, Entrepreneur and Billionaire

No. 95 Gisele Bündchen, Model and Philanthropist

Full list of the 100 women who represent agents of change in the world can be obtained on Forbes.com.

Rousseff: The Top Latina on Forbes’ Most Powerful Women List

Following her dramatic rise to the top of the heap last year, Dilma Rousseff is holding steady as la Latina mas poderosa en el mundo

The 64-year-old Brazilian president—the first woman to hold that office—has been named to Forbes magazine’s list of the most powerful women in the world.

Dilma Rousseff

Rousseff, the leader of one of the world’s largest economies, ranks at No. 3 on the list behind Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The three women occupy the exact same position they held on last year’s list.

In selecting her as one of the most powerful women, Forbes highlighted Rousseff’s ambitious work at the mid-point of her first term as president, launching two aggressive programs meant to reverse the still-strong but shrinking national GDP.

Brasil Sem Miséria is a Great Society-type program aimed at ridding dire poverty in Brazil and increasing access to education, medical care and sanitation services to those in need by 2014. A second initiative centers on business growth and innovation, including protectionist tariffs on imports, subsidies for exports and incentivizing micro and small businesses.

“What I want my legacy to be is this country to be increasing middle class, to be highly competitive and highly educated,” Rousseff told Forbes.

A June poll put Rousseff’s approval rating at 77%, and she is predicted to win a second four-year term in 2014.

Further down the list, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has moved up a spot from last year’s list to occupy the No. 16 position.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The 59-year-old Argentine president was re-elected to a second term in a landslide election last year. She caused quite a stir this summer when she approved ads for Argentina’s Olympic team that disputed British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Tensions between the Olympic host nation and Argentina have been boiling over since Fernandez renewed her country’s claim to the islands on June 13th, the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War.

Under her administration the economy sharply grew—the GDP is up 37% since 2007 at $725—pension and child welfare benefits increased and the poverty rate has fallen steadily.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopezthe “world’s most powerful celebrity”—ranks as the most powerful Latina superstar on this year’s list.

Jennifer Lopez

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate, who recently decided to walk away from her cushy American Idol gig, ranks at No. 38 in her debut listing on this Forbes list.

Lopez earned approximately $52 million last year with projects in a number of diverse fields that go beyond singing and acting, including successful fragrance and clothing lines and several lucrative endorsement deals.

She’s even produced and starred in her own Latin talent competition show Q’Viva! and she’s developing an hour-long drama for ABC Family. And, this summer she kicked off her first international music tour, which she plans to release as a 3D concert film.

“I’m a little bit tired now, I’m not going to lie,” Lopez admitted to Forbes.

Here’s a look at other Latinas making this year’s list:

No. 20 Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil CEO Maria das Graças Silva Foster
No. 40 Colombian singing sensation Shakira
No. 41 General Motors’ SVP, Global Product Development Mary Barra
No. 54 Spanish Investor & Philanthropist Rosalia Mera
No. 75 Colombian actress Sofia Vergara
No. 83 Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen

Click here to see Forbes’ complete list of the world’s most powerful women.

Rubio Among the Nine Latinos on Time’s 100 Influentials List

He may be the junior United States Senator from Florida with only about 15 months in office… But, Marco Rubio is already being hailed as one of the most influential people in the world.

The 40-year-old Cuban American politician appears on Time magazine’s just released list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Senator Marco Rubio

“I knew there was something special about Marco Rubio when I first met him as a young Republican city commissioner. Bilingual and bicultural, he represents the best of the emerging second generation of Cuban immigrants,” writes former Florida governor Jeb Bush about the U.S. Senator who is being called a potential vice presidential pick for the Republican Party. “His ascendancy in politics has not surprised me or the people who know him. Rubio’s abiding faith in the promise of America is so compelling.”

But Senator Rubio isn’t the only Latino making Time’s ninth annual list. In all, nine Latinos made the cut, including three females.

Here’s a look at the rest of the world’s most influential Latinos, according to Time.

Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.
The 44-year-old Emmy and Grammy-winning Mexican-American comedian/actor is the star of FX’s comedy series Louie, which he also writes, directs and edits. Comedienne Joan Rivers writes of Louis C.K.:  “When he sent me the Louie episode he wanted me to do, I called him and said, ‘I like it, but I’d like to work with you on this.’ He was wonderful. There is absolutely no ego there — we reworked the script together and we improvised. It was such a meeting of the minds, such a joy.”

José Andrés
Last year, the 42-year-old Spanish chef and activist won the coveted James Beard Foundation‘s Outstanding Chef Award, the highest honor a chef in America can achieve. But José Andrés wasn’t honored for his gastronomic work; he was recognized for his philanthropic efforts. Fellow chef Anthony Bourdain writes about José Andrés: “That this gift of Spain to the U.S. is best known as a great chef with a portfolio of extraordinary restaurants in Washington, Los Angeles and Las Vegas is almost beside the point. He’s bigger and more important than that. No one kitchen — or 10 — can contain him. He is advocate, promoter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, artist. Keep up with him at your peril.”

Dulce Matuz

Dulce Matuz
The 27-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant and advocate is the president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, the group working to provide a path to citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria writes about Dulce Matuz, who attended high school and college in Arizona: “An undocumented Latina confronted with legal barriers to pursuing her engineering dream, she chose to fight for the right to contribute to the country she has called home since she was young. As president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, Dulce promotes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who, like her, were brought to the U.S. before they were 16, attend college or serve in the military and are of good moral character. Dulce takes on powerful opponents with grace and conviction, saying, ‘We are Americans, and Americans don’t give up.’”

Eike Batista

Eike Batista
The 55-year-old Brazilian business tycoon, one of the richest people in the world, is the owner and president of Brazilian conglomerate EBX Group. Eike Batista made the list for his commitment to social inclusion initiatives in Rio de Janeiro. The city’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, credited Batista for bolstering Rio’s successful bid to host the 2016 Olympics and for donating to civic initiatives. “He might be Brazil’s richest man and the world’s seventh richest, bringing vital investment to our city from oil and mining, but his most valuable asset is his commitment to Rio’s legacy,” writes Paes.

Juan Manuel Santos

Juan Manuel Santos
The 60-year-old Colombian President may be recognized for helping his country in its bid to be a more developed world player, but Colombian pop singer Shakira believes he’s also a strong leader at home, especially after working directly with President Juan Manuel Santos on education and childhood development programs throughout the country. She writes, “A leader is someone who understands the people’s vision of a better tomorrow and is willing to guide them there. In Colombia, we dream of a future of progress, prosperity and peace. By focusing on education, I believe President Santos is on the right track to make that dream a reality.”

Maria das Graças Silva Foster

Maria das Graças Silva Foster
The Brazilian oil engineer was recently named the CEO of Petrobras, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of oil. She becomes its first female CEO and the first woman to run a major oil company. And, she’s known for being a tough, no-nonsense operator. “Foster, 58, spent her early childhood in a working-class favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and collected recyclable cans and paper to help pay for school. A chemical engineer by training, she joined Petrobras and stayed for more than 30 years. Her tireless work habits earned her the nickname Caveirao, slang for the armored cars Brazilian police use to clear out slums,” writes Bryan Walsh, a senior editor at Time.

Dilma Rousseff
President
The 64-year-old Brazilian politician, considered one of the world’s most powerful women, is the first woman to hold the office of President in her native country. Argentina’s president Cristina Fernández De Kirchner writes of Rousseff, “She and I share many personal experiences: the drive that comes from our immigrant heritage, youthful activism and militancy and the challenges faced by women as they try to grow in a space dominated by men. And we agree that social inequality is the greatest problem facing our countries. Historically, what was “national” in Latin America used to run counter to the interests of the other nations in our region. Today, with the leadership of Dilma Rousseff, we see a Brazil convinced that its national interest is absolutely linked to the interests of its neighbors.”

Lionel-Messi-Barcelona-Football-Player

Lionel Messi
Earlier this year, the 24-year-old Argentinean soccer star, who plays for Futbol Club Barcelona, claimed his third consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or, making him the first footballer to win the honor three years in a row. U.S. soccer star Mia Hamm writes of Lionel Messi: “He makes you hold your breath every time he touches the ball. It never seems to leave his feet. His love of the game and the pride he feels while playing for Barcelona and Argentina are palpable. Then you meet him, and you are reminded that he is only 5 ft. 7 in. (170 cm),” says Hamm. “He certainly has the potential to be remembered as the best player of all time, and I am so grateful for his approach to the game in this day and age. Clearly he plays because he loves it, and it shows every time he takes the field.

Click here for Time‘s complete list of influentials.

Sanchez: A “Global Thinker”

Foreign Policy has named blogger Yoani Sanchez to its Top 100 Global Thinkers list, which the magazine calls “a unique portrait of 2011’s global marketplace of ideas and thinkers who make them.”

The 36-year-old blogger, who has achieved international renown and recognition for her critical portrayal of life in Cuba under its current government, ranks No. 81 on the list.

Yoani Sanchez Cuban Blogger

Sanchez is recognized for her witty, prize-winning blogs on everyday life in Havana posted on her three-year-old weblog Generacion Y.

“Beautiful paradoxes of life. My name on FP list of 100 thinkers, and now I am ‘thinking’ of how to make the rice last until the end of the month.” Sanchez said via Twitter about her latest recognition.

“Sánchez’s rise owes at least as much to her literary gifts as to the power of Web 2.0,” Foreign Policy noted. “Approaching her country’s ills with both hopefulness and a gimlet eye, where most Cuba commentators are didactic and ideologically entrenched, her posts — on everything from Raúl Castro’s latest pronouncements to the taste of mangoes — have over the years painted an unusually vivid portrait of a society in limbo.” Her blog “stands as a rebuke to a government that still sharply limits its citizens’ access to the Internet,” the report noted.

Other Latinos making the list include Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseffwho has been named as one of the world’s most powerful women by Forbes magazine—and Argentine lawyer Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. 

Click here for the complete list.

The World’s Most Powerful Latinas…

It’s a popular quote, “Behind every great man there stands a great woman.” But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes la mujer is standing front and center, wielding enormous power, especially when it comes to Latinas.

This year’s list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, released by Forbes magazine, demonstrates the growing influence of Hispanic women across the globe, with several Latinas making the final roster.

This year’s highest-ranking Latina, 63-year-old Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s President, who vaulted 92 spots from last year to come in at No. 3. Rousseff made international headlines when she was elected to lead Latin America’s largest economy last fall. Rousseff was the first female Chief of Staff under Brazil’s reformist president, Lula da Silva and many expected she’d succeed him in office. She’s now battling a rebellious National Congress that threatens to halt her agenda and the country’s economic boom.

The next Latina on the list: Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez, who moved up 51 spots to rank No. 17. Earlier this summer the 58-year-old Fernandez, Argentina’s first female president, announced she’ll run for a second four-year term. Under her leadership, the country’s economy sharply grew, pension and child welfare benefits increased and the poverty dropped. But her re-election campaign could face serious challenges due to the nation’s high inflation rates and opposition from the business and farming communities.

Supermodel Giselle Bundchen is the list’s third highest-ranking Latina. Bundchen moves up 12 spots to take the No. 60 spot. Considered the world’s most powerful supermodel, Bundchen has pocketed $45 million from modeling gigs, endorsement deals and independent business ventures this year. In fact, She’s reportedly close to adding “billionaire” to her resume. But she isn’t just a pretty face. She’s also a United Nations Environmental Goodwill Ambassador and has worked on an animated web series called “Gisele and the Green Team,” to highlight green issues to educate kids and adults.

Here’s a look at other Latinas making this year’s list:

#77: Spanish businesswoman Ana Patricia Boton, CEO, Santander UK
#86: Costa Rica’s President Laura Chinchilla
#93: Portuguese businesswoman Maria Ramos, CEO of South Africa’s Absa Group Banks

So who made the Top 5?

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merckel topped the list #1 in part because of her popularity and efforts to reduce childhood obesity, according to Forbes. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came in second, followed by Rousseff (#3), PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi (#4) and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

Click here to see the complete list.

So which Latinas do you think should’ve made the cut? And who do you think will make the roster next year?