$500 or less

$500 or less

Films on NoBudge reported with a budget of $500 OR LESS. NoBudge Collection #020.

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$500 or less
  • Hannah: A Model

    Hannah is an Australian model living a perfect life in L.A., except when she chooses to be “bad”. In this parody profile, directed by Blair Beeken, we get a light-hearted jab at the ultra beautiful, healthy, and self-absorbed. Mollie Merkel writes and stars as the Instagram model with a penchant ...

  • Farside

    Two college freshmen say goodbye to their summer internship. “Farside,” written by and starring Matt Barats and Anthony Oberbeck (and directed by, you guessed it, Doron Max Hagay) is a short comedy about awkward farewells, the location of regional colleges, and who gets to keep the Farside calend...

  • Distance

    Lucy and David's 8 year relationship has survived a distance of 2700 miles, but the events of one night tests their decision to stay together. Director Allegra Oxborough has crafted a complex and remarkably realistic docu-fiction drama about a long-distance relationship, equal parts sensitive, bl...

  • While the Kettle Boils

    While waiting for his water to boil to make tea, a young man enters a state of distorted reality. This surreal experimental short by director Nick Shultz gets a lot of mileage out of a trippy soundscape and enigmatic framework. After an incident involving a door frame pull-up bar, a mundane eveni...

  • Observations of the Amazing World Around Us

    An ode to the present moment capturing snippets of city life and visions of escape. “Observations of the Amazing World Around Us,” directed by Lee Phillips, explores what it means to construct our lives as a series of memories. A narrator poetically aims to reject this mode of living, instead hop...

  • Eyeballs

    A young man with vision problems deals with his caustic friends and a bizarrely ominous influence. “Eyeballs,” directed by Cooper Herzog Olson, is an experimental oddity, a stream-of-consciousness DIY tone poem about learning to see, but not too much. Wandering around a small beach town, Dennis e...

  • Returning, Again

    After distancing herself from a complicated relationship with her father, 22-year-old Kate Young returns home for the Thanksgiving holiday. “Returning, Again,” directed by Jinho Myung, is a family portrait shot on Mini-DV that details a persistent family divide, doing so with an astute sense of p...

  • Matilda CD

    A young man is haunted by the music of someone he once knew. “Matilda CD,” directed by Joe Dye, a student project made at Sarah Lawrence College, is a heart-on-its-sleeve drama about a mystical romantic connection. Cal is a college student reeling from the upsetting news about a former student, M...

  • Scenes From The City

    Though the big city may appear to be endless concrete and steel, it is teeming with hidden life underneath. So proposes the new film by Luke Strickler, “Scenes From the City,” an absurdist 3D animation that illustrates the behavior and thoughts of a series of sentient buildings, stop signs, and t...

  • A Summer Day in Brooklyn

    On a summer day in Brooklyn, an indie filmmaker juggles several different projects while keeping up with family and friends. Daniel Luis Ennab directs “A Summer Day in Brooklyn,” a visual journal that follows the spontaneous actions of a film editor and cinema obsessive. On a Saturday, Ennab (who...

  • Supernova

    An aged ex-Club Kid prepares to re-enter queer nightlife after years of leading a nomadic crust-punk lifestyle in the squats of New York City. “Supernova,” directed by Jacob Kessler, is a docu-fiction portrait of Astro, as she moves through a series of spontaneous interactions. Of utmost concern ...

  • Do You Want To Learn Magic?

    In this instructional magic video gone awry, a young magician comes to terms with the difficult reality that doing coin tricks may not be enough. “Do You Want to Learn Magic?” directed by and starring the real-life magician, Chris Fanelli, is a free-roaming mixture of infomercial, personal histor...

  • A Ballet

    A band of ravers who reside and dance under the L.A River have their lives turned upside down when one of their own is chopped in half with a glow stick. “A Ballet,” directed by Zoe Katz, is a bonkers 5-minute no-fi extravaganza where everyone wears JNCOS (this is a sequel to Katz’ “A Very JNCOS ...

  • Dear Maslow

    After a break up, a young woman writes a rueful letter to her ex-partner. Elizabeth Godar writes and directs “Dear Maslow,” a vivid montage of post relationship blues filled with specificity and style. Wearing a Supercross jersey, the woman composes her thoughts while smoking cigarettes, eating c...

  • Everything Happens To Me

    A struggling actor in L.A. goes in for an audition. It doesn’t go well. Presented as an eight minute single-take, “Everything Happens to Me” is a funny and painful glimpse into chasing your dreams well past the point of no return. When he arrives, he’s frazzled and unprepared, having just got off...

  • La Roche

    A mysterious pile of rocks show up in a Montreal parking lot and a group of young people gravitate to the odd sight. “La Roche,” directed by Emma Cosgrove, is a mixed-media melange of documentary and experimental fiction, a poetic meditation on the natural world and the unique pathways of our liv...

  • Bobby Fish

    A surreal, scattershot story of fatherhood, the cycle of life, consumerism, and giving people what they ask for. “Bobby Fish,” directed by Peter Wagner, is a one-of-a-kind oddity bouncing between perspectives— from a father, to a son, to a fish, to an evil toy company — all held together with a u...

  • The Natural Museum of History

    A story of America's favorite pastime and the way we pass the time. Directed by The Video Kideo.

  • Cup of Gold

    Cup of Gold meanders through sunlit autumn days while the narrator attempts to transmit the mysterious forces of nature that enchant her. Film, narration & music by Eva Knowles.

  • How to Re-Caulk your Tub

    A woman attempts to re-caulk her bathtub. “How to Re-Caulk Your Tub,” directed by Sean Pierce, is a parody of a YouTube tutorial which begins as a straight-forward instructional video and devolves into an existential freak out. The woman, played by Alex Moorman, sets out to refresh her temple of ...

  • Starshine Mountain

    A colorful animated tale of a one-eyed woman and the guilt she feels after destroying her home planet. “Starshine Mountain,” directed by Corrinne James, is a wonderfully imaginative fairy tale / creation myth that begins with a cataclysmic series of events. Odette is a scientist on Earth who one ...

  • Earth FM

    Three scientists search for an elusive signal...their transmissions cross inside the earth, resulting in a mysterious and cathartic discovery. | Directed by Philip Rabalais.

  • You're Doing Great, Sweetie!

    A woman tries to pretend she's doing okay. | Directed by Ericka Clevenger.

  • Living My Best Life in Hudson Yards

    The story of a fool in a smart city– a glimpse into our glorious future where no scrap of data goes un-personalized. | Directed by Danny Garfield.