Walking through the halls of the Marché du Film at Cannes, you’ll see hundreds of people clutching coffee cups and laptops, scanning name tags, and slipping business cards into jackets. This isn’t a party. It’s a marketplace. And the films being sold aren’t on screens-they’re in pitch decks, trailers, and the quiet confidence of a sales agent who knows exactly who to talk to and when.
What Sales Agents Actually Do at Film Markets
Sales agents don’t make movies. They don’t direct them. They don’t even always fund them. But they’re the ones who make sure those movies actually reach audiences. Their job is to connect filmmakers with distributors around the world-Netflix in Brazil, a streaming service in South Korea, a theatrical chain in Germany. And they do it all at film markets.
These markets aren’t just big conferences. They’re high-stakes trading floors. At Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and AFM (American Film Market), buyers and sellers meet in person to negotiate rights. A sales agent might have five films in their portfolio. Each one needs a deal. Each deal needs a buyer. And each buyer has a budget, a schedule, and a taste for certain genres.
Think of it like this: a director finishes a thriller shot in rural Romania. It’s great. But without a sales agent, it’ll sit on a hard drive. The agent’s job? Find the right buyer in Poland who just bought two similar films last year, show them the trailer, and close a deal before the market ends.
Who You’re Really Talking To
At these markets, you’re not just networking with random people. You’re talking to specific types of buyers:
- International distributors-companies that buy rights for one country or region. Think: Wild Bunch for Europe, XYZ Films for North America.
- Streaming platforms-Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, and smaller services like MUBI or Shudder. They want content fast, and they pay upfront.
- TV networks-especially in Europe and Asia, where broadcast rights still matter.
- Co-producers and financiers-they’re not buying rights yet, but they’re looking to invest in future projects.
Knowing who you’re talking to changes everything. If you’re pitching a low-budget horror film, you don’t waste time with a major studio rep. You find the head of horror acquisitions at Shudder or a boutique distributor like RLJE Films. They’re the ones who actually buy this stuff.
How to Get a Meeting (Without Being Pushy)
You can’t just walk up to a buyer and say, “Hey, want to see my movie?” That doesn’t work. Sales agents don’t cold-call. They build relationships.
Here’s how it actually happens:
- Get on the official market list. Most markets have a digital catalog. If your film isn’t listed, no one will know you’re there.
- Use the schedule. Buyers publish their availability. Find who’s meeting on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and send a short, clear email: “Hi, I’m representing Midnight in Minsk. I’d love 10 minutes to show you the trailer.”
- Don’t send attachments. Send a link. A Vimeo link. A password-protected screening. Not a 2GB .mov file.
- Follow up, but not too hard. One email after the meeting. One message on LinkedIn. That’s it. If they don’t respond, move on.
One agent told me last year: “I’ve seen 300 films at AFM. Ten made me feel something. Two made me want to buy. One of those two was a film I saw in a hotel room at 2 a.m. because the agent didn’t have a booth.”
What Makes a Film Sell
Not every good film sells. And not every flashy film sells either.
Here’s what actually moves the needle:
- Clear genre and tone-Buyers need to know instantly if it’s a romantic comedy, a documentary about bees, or a psychological thriller. No ambiguity.
- Strong lead actor with a following-Even if they’re not a star in the U.S., if they’re known in Germany or Japan, that’s a selling point.
- Production value that matches the budget-A $50K film doesn’t need Hollywood effects. But if the sound is muddy or the lighting looks like it was shot with a phone, buyers will assume the rest is amateur.
- Pre-sales or festival buzz-If it played at Sundance, Locarno, or Toronto, that’s a signal. Buyers trust those filters.
- Clear rights status-No one wants to buy a film with legal issues. Make sure you own the rights to the story, music, and footage.
One film I saw last year at Berlin had no famous actors, no big budget, and no festival premiere. But it had a killer logline: “A deaf librarian in rural Norway discovers a hidden radio signal from 1987.” That’s memorable. And the buyer from Sweden bought it on the spot.
What to Bring (And What to Leave at Home)
You don’t need a fancy suit. But you do need these five things:
- A one-sheet-A single page with the title, poster, logline, key credits, and contact info. Print 50.
- A digital trailer-Under 90 seconds. No credits at the end. Just the film.
- A pitch deck-Three slides: What it is, why it’s unique, who it’s for. No more than 100 words per slide.
- Business cards-Even if you think they’re outdated. People still take them.
- A notebook and pen-Write down names, companies, follow-up dates. Don’t rely on your phone.
Leave behind: your ego, your 10-minute pitch, your PowerPoint with 40 slides, and the urge to explain your “artistic vision.” Buyers don’t care about your vision. They care about your audience.
Timing Is Everything
Markets run on a schedule. And timing can make or break a deal.
Here’s the rhythm:
- First two days-People are still arriving. Meetings are slow. Use this time to set up your booth, meet other agents, and get your schedule locked in.
- Days 3-5-The peak. Buyers are hungry. This is when deals happen. Schedule your most important meetings here.
- Last two days-Everyone’s tired. But that’s when the real deals close. Buyers are under pressure to report results. If you’re still in the game, you might get a last-minute offer.
One agent told me she closed a $200K deal on the last day of AFM because the buyer had a deadline to meet his quarterly budget. He didn’t have time to wait. He just needed to say yes.
What Happens After the Market
Getting a meeting is half the battle. Closing the deal is the other half.
After the market, you need to:
- Send a thank-you email within 24 hours.
- Follow up with a link to the full film if they asked.
- Update your deal tracker: who said yes, who said no, who said “maybe.”
- Don’t ghost. Even if they say no, keep them on your list. They might buy your next film.
Deals don’t always happen in the hotel room. Sometimes they happen three months later, after a buyer watched your film again at home, after their team saw it at a screening, after they got approval from legal.
Patience isn’t optional. It’s the currency of film sales.
Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
Here’s what most first-timers get wrong:
- Trying to sell too many films at once. Focus on one or two. Be the expert on those.
- Not knowing your numbers. If a buyer asks, “What’s your budget?” and you say, “I don’t know,” you lose credibility.
- Being too desperate. Saying “I need this deal” makes you look weak. Say, “I believe this film has strong potential.”
- Ignoring the market’s vibe. Cannes is about prestige. AFM is about deals. Berlin is for arthouse. Don’t pitch a horror film at a documentary-focused panel.
- Forgetting to eat or sleep. You’ll be walking 20,000 steps a day. If you’re exhausted, you’ll say the wrong thing.
The best sales agents aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones who listen more than they talk. Who remember names. Who follow up without being annoying. Who know when to walk away.
Final Thought: It’s Not About the Film. It’s About the Trust.
At the end of the day, no one buys a film because it’s perfect. They buy it because they trust the person selling it.
They trust that you know your film inside out. That you’ve done your homework. That you’re not wasting their time. That you’ll deliver what you promise.
That’s the real currency of film markets. Not money. Not fame. Trust.
If you build that, the deals will come.
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