Golshifteh Farahani as Queen Nefertari in Exodus by Ridley Scott

When a producer cobbles together the budget for an independent film – modestly budgeted at, say, $25 million – selling the distribution rights in foreign territories is crucial to cover the film’s budget and, hopefully, bring in revenue. Independent filmmakers can actually make money if they have a great foreign sales agent who can sell their film in key overseas markets.