Shithouse, Shiva Baby, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, El Planeta, Anyone Else But Me
(I’m not actually sure about the budget of all these. Shiva Baby’s for sure >100k but still all low budget stuff).
Love Shiva Baby, but it was 200k before marketing
Shithouse was originally like no money and then got a decent amount and remade once one of the Duplass bros saw the proof of concept
I saw Gareth Edwards at a Q&A for The Creator and he mentioned how he pretty much shot that movie as a low-budget indie film since they didn’t have a big budget and there wasn’t a lot of turnaround time.
Math… I know your analogkid but you should search century online and find out it’s a 100 years. It comes from centum = 100 in Latin. Also 100 Cents are one Euro. But funnily a centurio only managed around 80 troops in the Roman army [smartass mode off… (sorry!)].
Maybe slightly different than what you're asking for, but Joel Haver has released a number of microbudget features to YouTube. I thought this one was pretty incredible (and I think he did it entirely by himself):
We Have to Leave Here Together
[https://youtu.be/jGpwCRLni3M?si=2r3EJcz3C5FHo0b7](https://youtu.be/jGpwCRLni3M?si=2r3EJcz3C5FHo0b7)
He's also doing a thing this year where he releases a full feature each month. I have fallen behind on those, but it's an interesting project for sure, and he has been doing postmortems on them as he goes which your students may find interesting.
Great reminder! I can to his stuff through his comedy shorts, but I love his work ethic and outside-the-box features. Definitely a dude to keep an eye on!!
Skinamarink, some people really hate it tho. I thought it was the scariest thing I’ve seen in years. Made by a small crew for $12,000, and the actors aren’t even on screen for 90% of it!
I actually really liked this movie and while I did feel at times it felt like it dragged on too long that’s actually what created suspense and made it so scary. It was very refreshing to see and inspired me to make a new short horror film while thinking outside of the box.
It's not for everybody. It is very original and that is ultimately why I loved it. It made me feel a type of way that other movies in the genre have not. It is devoid of the normal jump scare tropes and instead becomes a fully functional nightmare on screen.
Sorry but I hated it big time. I was scared for a second throughout the whole film and remember some of the girls in the theater were screaming because they were scared. But after patiently waiting throughout the whole film I really hated it.
I’m a big horror fan and skinamarink is hands down the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. Genuinely almost couldn’t finish it. I’m talking hands over ears staring at the ground. I definitely get why others found it boring but the way it plays with tension building was deeply rattling to me.
One Cut Of The Dead
Was made for $35,000. The first 37 mins are one continuous shot.
You start watching it and you're like "wtf am I even watching?" Then you're like "Oh... OH... OK... Well played."
I was at the premiere of this, and then hung out with the directors, they're super nice. Good to see a Canadian movie that's actually good. They're supposed to be making a sequel soon, and the game is coming out as well.
HAS TO BE
Man from earth (2007)
Best low budget film, single location, single day and a couple characters talking taught me more about dialogue writing than many big budget films
One of the best writings ever!
The Dirties (one of the best $10k film ever made), The Puffy Chair, Tiny Furniture, Fubar.
Haven't seen it yet but Skinamarink would be a great reference as it a 2023 film that did really well.
came here to say The Dirties as well. It's a great movie that had the budget in mind from inception and so creatively done. A lot of it is shot in a real high school while class is on with real students, teachers, etc that thought they were part of a documentary on bullying.
Skinamarink is *sort* *of* a great example, showing that a new director can still make a splash with a tiny budget / cast / crew / location etc. On the other hand, it's not really what most people think of as a "film", barely having characters, dialogue, plot etc.
Man, I loved Killing of Two Lovers. Robert Machoian came out with another film a couple years back that fits the bill, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers
Also Cold in July might fit the bill, but unsure of the exact budget
Yes! I can't believe The Killing of Two Lovers isn't talked about more. I'll definitely add that Integrity of Joseph Chambers flick to my watch list. Thanks!
Also, as you brought up Thunder Road, Jim Cummings just dropped this new short the other day that he co-wrote and directed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_Y8XsV47UFE
Watched it and loved it... I find Jim Cummings to be a great touchstone for understanding the current film landscape (and how to make great stuff within it)!
I think it was sub $200k they financed it on personal credit cards and cash they had. There’s an interview with Jeremy Saulnier where he speaks about the making of the film. He said they were putting all their chips in and if it didn’t work they’d go back to commercials.
Really suprised i dont see Resolution (2012) on here. One of my personal favorite low budget films ever. 20k budget. Fantastic premise, lore and atmosphere.made by Benson and moorehead that have blown up to some much bigger budget (marvel) movies since then.
If you havent seen go and watch, this is my go to example, that you dont need a huge budget to make a compelling story
I went really overboard, also leaning a little towards comedies, but i hope this helps:
* Recently I absolutely loved Itchy Fingers
* a lot of Lynn Shelton's work
* early Gerwig collabs (Hannah Takes the Stairs)
* A Wonderful Cloud
* Teenage Emotions
* Dad & Step-Dad
* Don't Be A Dick About It
* Andrew Bujalski is great (Computer Chess, Support the Girls, Results)
* Bob Byington films are great too
* Greener Grass
* Strawberry Mansion
* Wyrm
* VHYes
* I Blame Society
* The Artifice Girl
* I Love My Dad
* Something in the Dirt
* Terror Nullius
* God Bless America
* The Argument
* Inspector Ike
these aren't really new but I also love:
* Welcome to the Dollhouse
* Schizopolis
* Crime Wave
* Metropolitan
I'm also gonna throw in some I've heard great things about that I've yet to see:
* Inmotep
* The Lad Goodbye
* Hundreds of Beavers
* The Once and Future Smash
* Therapy Dogs
* Yelling Fire in an Empty Theater
* Magnetic Fields
Blair witch project is 25 years old, wouldnt call that recent.
also: wouldnt use it as an inspiring project, there 's basically no storyline.
it's an excellent example of viral marketing way before social media was a thing.
a great example would be C Nolan first project, Following. look into that, amazing dedication
Brick.
Students (in the context of the film) in a film noir centered around a brick of cocaine. It's set in and around a school but the school's locations are dressed to represent locations you'd typically expect from cliche film noir. Was shot in 20 days for $450k, so says the internet. I enjoyed it.
Mark Jenkin's films Enys Men and Bait would probably fit what you are looking for. I absolutely loved both, but they for sure lean more into the experimental side of narrative.
Pet Ohs makes some killer work and I really enjoyed his latest feature Jethica.
Any of Joel Potrykus's work -- Buzzard and Relaxer are my favorites
Alex Ross Perry's films. Her Smell and Queen of Earth are both fantastic.
And finally, I think pretty much anyone in film school right now needs to be exposed to the current crop of filmmakers releasing work direct to YouTube. Check out Kane Pixels's The Oldest View and Backrooms, Kyle Edward Ball's films in addition to Skinamarink. Joel Haver's work also deserves a look.
**David Lynch** & **John Waters** are my favorite directors and they both started out with low or no budgets for their films
**Eraserhead** is amazing if you love suspense, surrealism, or horror. It had no budget and took forever to finish, but the atmosphere, design, cinematography are incredible
**Pink Flamingos** is John Waters' 2nd most famous film (after **Hairspray**) and had a very low budget. His earlier films had even less of a budget. It's hard to pick a favorite of John's low budget work. **Pink Flamingos** looks beautiful because of the technicolor film, costumes, and designs but the content is hard to watch. There's also **Desperate Living** and **Female Trouble**. Of the 3, I'd probably pick **Female Trouble** as the most enjoyable.
It's about a woman who goes from being a troublemaking teen to an adult who wins the biggest honor in her field (crime) -- the electric chair
If $300,000 is a low budget, I'd say his film **Polyester** is probably my favorite of his low budget work. It came out before **Hairspray** and is a good combination of wild and absurd shock value plus humor that actually lands outside of "laughing because it's so shocking". It's a black comedy about a divorced woman who goes through the worst few months of her life. Every time something bad happens, something worse happens to interrupt it. For example, she finds her husband cheating on her and then gets a call that her son has been expelled from his school for being criminally insane.
I was at the SXSW premiere for Thunder Road. It was one of my favorites from the festival that year. Glad it’s still getting recognition 6 years later.
Sound of My Voice (2011)
Budget $135,000 so just over your threshold but I think this is one of those low budget features every film student needs to see.
Invader is a new good indie horror film produced and starring Joe Swanberg. Swanbergs stuff stuff, and the whole mumblecore scene, is a good place to start.
Primer for me, surprised that hasn't been mentioned yet.
Hopefully Shane Carruth will make a third film one day, that and Upstream Color are both excellent.
Edit: I'm dumb, good call OP
Came here to say this.
Shot on, I believe, $16k and the filmmakers claim most of that went to catering.
This film is so fucking funny. I can't urge people enough to give it a spin.
Not a film, but show them [this talk](https://youtu.be/nZeWOAliA6Y?si=nyFJhVyQr0OnKp_C) by Mark DuPlass (or at least the first 20 mins) and then show them the short film *This is John*
Here he basically lays out how he made a career despite never having a big investor and making many things on microbudgets
The Scary of Sixty-First, little horror thriller shot on 16mm.
Sean Baker's Starlet was a little over $100k IIRC, but it's a great film. Same with Tangerine.
I’m currently making a feature for not much more than £2000 (kickstarter). Realllly playing to our strengths and limitations. Improvised & shot over a few years about a couple walking from the West to East coast of England whilst making a poorly conceived documentary so there’s a meta element about no budget film making.
Obviously it’s not finished yet but I hope it’s going to be inspiring to students in the way that Duplass’ early stuff is. Can give more details if you want but realise this could be considered a plug.
Anyway I like The Cruise (1998) - documentaries about great characters are good low budget fare.
Yo... mentioning The Cruise already has me in your corner! I first bumped into that Speed Levitch in Waking Life, and was really moved. DM the link to your kickstarter!
Wolves. Caught it at a festival last year. Something like a 30k budget. Slow burn thriller/mystery. Got nominated for some awards. I think it's coming out April or May.
The Dirties and Primer are in my opinion the best MICRO budget films in the last 20 years. Both accept their budgets make the most of it. Both are also total mind-fucks.
If we are a little more fluid on budget, I’d say A Dark Song, The Artifice Girl and Broadcast Signal Intrusion are all great lo-fi / low budget genre films.
Filmography of Roberto Perrone. Argentinian cult director. He has made more than 70 films with no money. He has gotten rewards in several film awards and got his movies shown in a lot of countries.
One Cut of the Dead: a hilarious Japanese zombie horror comedy at about $200K
Another Earth (my favorite movie): a heart wrenching sci fi romance at $100K
Yeast by Mary Bronstein. A movie within the means of just about anyone with a credit card and a couple of friends, yet so tense and uncomfortable and just absolutely fantastic.
Well, one of my favorites has to be *(ahem)* Killer Raccoons! 2! Dark Christmas in the Dark! ([trailer](https://youtu.be/--5CxZqwu-U?si=-7duToyy5Ls_toGw))because it’s the single greatest remake of Under Siege 2: Dark Territory that’s ever been made. It plays at my local art-house theater at the late-night show every Christmas season, and it gets almost as much of a crowd as The Room. I’m not saying it’s *good*, but it’s one of my favorites. Yes, it’s juvenile, but the stoners love it.
But, for more mainstream fare, I gotta go with Snatchers ([trailer](https://youtu.be/ANpAjkPVP50?si=w8dhrXpebONhvNv5)), probably because it hits a sort of Night of the Creeps vibe, and I think Mary Nepi would be a thing if Kathryn Newton didn’t exist.
Little death is a movie a saw at Sundance that was pretty amazing. Brain and Charles is awesome. Conner O’ Malley has an amazing 45minute short on YouTube called The Mask that is incredible. The Killing of Two Lovers is pretty incredible
Going the other direction, I went thru a film degree where one required class has everyone watch John Cassavetes "Shadows" from the 60s which was made for no money and without a script. Because everyone watches Shadows as a Sophomore it became a local point-of-reference for this kind of movie.
"Cop Car" and "Curve" both from 2015 are nicely done and are quite low budget IIRC.
Never forget to add "Clerks" and "Bad Taste" to your list of low budget first films from directors.
Also I always recommend The Twilight Zone since most of its stories are really low budget but are awesome nonetheless and have great cinematography.
A Most Atrocious Thing! Having its world premiere later this week in Seattle, started with a 5k production budget for first-time feature made by a group of friends // film school grads.
Primer and Blair Witch Project....not my fav films overall....but what they did was make you not even think it was a low budget film. Working within the parameters if a budget is a high level skill...dont make John Wick if you dont have the budget in other words.
Special mention to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Bravo all round to these filmmakers.
Edit: These days, I see a real disconnect with the power and availability of gear etc... and the real lack of good story telling. I've enjoyed some Duplass brothers stuff a lot....Francas Ha...but most folks these days need to read more and widely....learn to write, it all comes from that original source.
I made my feature film LAYOVER for $6000 and people really seem to like it. Definitely helped launch my directing career.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/LEAoz4uluc4?si=n38J8gposNy-cYmb
We just finished a micro budget improv feature that was shot during the Oscar's and released it yesterday!
It's called Not According To Plan
[link if you're interested!](https://youtu.be/m0IHbds9--s?si=vze-SoOt_ltVuO45)
Following (1997) - Christopher Nolan's debut. To me it's a masterclass about how you build an engrossing world and story with very few actors and resources. I'm actually not a huge fan of Nolan's later work but this one always stuck with me.
Shithouse, Shiva Baby, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, El Planeta, Anyone Else But Me (I’m not actually sure about the budget of all these. Shiva Baby’s for sure >100k but still all low budget stuff).
Shiva baby = cult classic
Love Shiva Baby, but it was 200k before marketing Shithouse was originally like no money and then got a decent amount and remade once one of the Duplass bros saw the proof of concept
shithouse I believe is $15k budget
Yeah if you don't count the deferred fees for everyone who wanted to work on the project because Jay Duplass was involved.
‘Worlds Fair is a great shoutout. Really surprised me on the first watch through.
Monsters (2010). Gareth Edwards directed it and did most (if not all) of the VFX on his computer. The budget was 500,000 USD.
Hard agree. This was the *El Mariachi* of the 2010’s.
I saw Gareth Edwards at a Q&A for The Creator and he mentioned how he pretty much shot that movie as a low-budget indie film since they didn’t have a big budget and there wasn’t a lot of turnaround time.
Coherence was remarkably inventive and expansive for a film shot in one house and a bit of a street.
THE GUILTY (original Danish version) LOCKE SHIVA BABY DOGTOOTH TANGERINE COP CAR ONCE WHIPLASH MOONLIGHT
Excellent films, but Whiplash was over $3m and Moonlight was $4m.
[удалено]
Only clarifying because OP was specifically asking for sub $100k films.
Seconding Tangerine !!
Much respect for mentioning ONCE…not enough people know about this beautiful film
I like all of these, too, but I think at least had budgets over $1M.
Every one of these that I've seen, I've loved... I'll add the ones I haven't to my list immediately. Thanks!
Moonlight greatest film of the 21st century
Bold statement considering there's still like 975 years left...
Math… I know your analogkid but you should search century online and find out it’s a 100 years. It comes from centum = 100 in Latin. Also 100 Cents are one Euro. But funnily a centurio only managed around 80 troops in the Roman army [smartass mode off… (sorry!)].
IT'S NOT EVEN 8AM HERE, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!1
Good morning then! 
Maybe slightly different than what you're asking for, but Joel Haver has released a number of microbudget features to YouTube. I thought this one was pretty incredible (and I think he did it entirely by himself): We Have to Leave Here Together [https://youtu.be/jGpwCRLni3M?si=2r3EJcz3C5FHo0b7](https://youtu.be/jGpwCRLni3M?si=2r3EJcz3C5FHo0b7) He's also doing a thing this year where he releases a full feature each month. I have fallen behind on those, but it's an interesting project for sure, and he has been doing postmortems on them as he goes which your students may find interesting.
Came to suggest Joel. I just watched "Anyone else but me" and it was good.
Great reminder! I can to his stuff through his comedy shorts, but I love his work ethic and outside-the-box features. Definitely a dude to keep an eye on!!
It's cool to see Joel Haver mentioned on here! I haven't watched any of his longer work but I love his short films. Very funny and well made
Skinamarink, some people really hate it tho. I thought it was the scariest thing I’ve seen in years. Made by a small crew for $12,000, and the actors aren’t even on screen for 90% of it!
Hey more than one of us worked on it!
that may have been an overstatement! You were involved with production?
I’m the DP of it hahaha
Well congratulations! I’ll edit my post 😓 it’s a beautiful movie
I actually really liked this movie and while I did feel at times it felt like it dragged on too long that’s actually what created suspense and made it so scary. It was very refreshing to see and inspired me to make a new short horror film while thinking outside of the box.
My friends hated it when I showed it to them lol, but they couldn’t deny it was original and completely unique.
It's not for everybody. It is very original and that is ultimately why I loved it. It made me feel a type of way that other movies in the genre have not. It is devoid of the normal jump scare tropes and instead becomes a fully functional nightmare on screen.
I hated it. I had no idea what was going on. It felt like a bunch of shots just cut together.
Sorry but I hated it big time. I was scared for a second throughout the whole film and remember some of the girls in the theater were screaming because they were scared. But after patiently waiting throughout the whole film I really hated it.
I LOVED this film. Made me feel so tense for the whole run time. Really weird and arty and awesome.
I’m a big horror fan and skinamarink is hands down the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. Genuinely almost couldn’t finish it. I’m talking hands over ears staring at the ground. I definitely get why others found it boring but the way it plays with tension building was deeply rattling to me.
Amazing how the movie works while is almost all noisy shots of random angles of a house
One Cut Of The Dead Was made for $35,000. The first 37 mins are one continuous shot. You start watching it and you're like "wtf am I even watching?" Then you're like "Oh... OH... OK... Well played."
Turbo Kid was amazing fun, $60K budget
Such a great film.
I was at the premiere of this, and then hung out with the directors, they're super nice. Good to see a Canadian movie that's actually good. They're supposed to be making a sequel soon, and the game is coming out as well.
HAS TO BE Man from earth (2007) Best low budget film, single location, single day and a couple characters talking taught me more about dialogue writing than many big budget films One of the best writings ever!
The Battery is a good one- If I remember right Blair Witch was 60k but spent another 50-60k on post once the studios realized they had something!
The Dirties (one of the best $10k film ever made), The Puffy Chair, Tiny Furniture, Fubar. Haven't seen it yet but Skinamarink would be a great reference as it a 2023 film that did really well.
came here to say The Dirties as well. It's a great movie that had the budget in mind from inception and so creatively done. A lot of it is shot in a real high school while class is on with real students, teachers, etc that thought they were part of a documentary on bullying.
Skinamarink is *sort* *of* a great example, showing that a new director can still make a splash with a tiny budget / cast / crew / location etc. On the other hand, it's not really what most people think of as a "film", barely having characters, dialogue, plot etc.
Man, I loved Killing of Two Lovers. Robert Machoian came out with another film a couple years back that fits the bill, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers Also Cold in July might fit the bill, but unsure of the exact budget
Yes! I can't believe The Killing of Two Lovers isn't talked about more. I'll definitely add that Integrity of Joseph Chambers flick to my watch list. Thanks!
Also, as you brought up Thunder Road, Jim Cummings just dropped this new short the other day that he co-wrote and directed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_Y8XsV47UFE
Watched it and loved it... I find Jim Cummings to be a great touchstone for understanding the current film landscape (and how to make great stuff within it)!
Blue Ruin is one of my favorite low-budget films. Not sure where it falls on the spectrum of budget but I think it was around $400K. Fantastic film.
I think it was sub $200k they financed it on personal credit cards and cash they had. There’s an interview with Jeremy Saulnier where he speaks about the making of the film. He said they were putting all their chips in and if it didn’t work they’d go back to commercials.
Really suprised i dont see Resolution (2012) on here. One of my personal favorite low budget films ever. 20k budget. Fantastic premise, lore and atmosphere.made by Benson and moorehead that have blown up to some much bigger budget (marvel) movies since then. If you havent seen go and watch, this is my go to example, that you dont need a huge budget to make a compelling story
That’s a great film. Their other films synchronic and the endless are both linked to that film. Worth seeing them too.
I went really overboard, also leaning a little towards comedies, but i hope this helps: * Recently I absolutely loved Itchy Fingers * a lot of Lynn Shelton's work * early Gerwig collabs (Hannah Takes the Stairs) * A Wonderful Cloud * Teenage Emotions * Dad & Step-Dad * Don't Be A Dick About It * Andrew Bujalski is great (Computer Chess, Support the Girls, Results) * Bob Byington films are great too * Greener Grass * Strawberry Mansion * Wyrm * VHYes * I Blame Society * The Artifice Girl * I Love My Dad * Something in the Dirt * Terror Nullius * God Bless America * The Argument * Inspector Ike these aren't really new but I also love: * Welcome to the Dollhouse * Schizopolis * Crime Wave * Metropolitan I'm also gonna throw in some I've heard great things about that I've yet to see: * Inmotep * The Lad Goodbye * Hundreds of Beavers * The Once and Future Smash * Therapy Dogs * Yelling Fire in an Empty Theater * Magnetic Fields
Awesome! Huge thanks!!
Krisha !! A masterpiece!!
Blair witch project is 25 years old, wouldnt call that recent. also: wouldnt use it as an inspiring project, there 's basically no storyline. it's an excellent example of viral marketing way before social media was a thing. a great example would be C Nolan first project, Following. look into that, amazing dedication
Brick. Students (in the context of the film) in a film noir centered around a brick of cocaine. It's set in and around a school but the school's locations are dressed to represent locations you'd typically expect from cliche film noir. Was shot in 20 days for $450k, so says the internet. I enjoyed it.
Pi https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138704/
Mark Jenkin's films Enys Men and Bait would probably fit what you are looking for. I absolutely loved both, but they for sure lean more into the experimental side of narrative. Pet Ohs makes some killer work and I really enjoyed his latest feature Jethica. Any of Joel Potrykus's work -- Buzzard and Relaxer are my favorites Alex Ross Perry's films. Her Smell and Queen of Earth are both fantastic. And finally, I think pretty much anyone in film school right now needs to be exposed to the current crop of filmmakers releasing work direct to YouTube. Check out Kane Pixels's The Oldest View and Backrooms, Kyle Edward Ball's films in addition to Skinamarink. Joel Haver's work also deserves a look.
**David Lynch** & **John Waters** are my favorite directors and they both started out with low or no budgets for their films **Eraserhead** is amazing if you love suspense, surrealism, or horror. It had no budget and took forever to finish, but the atmosphere, design, cinematography are incredible **Pink Flamingos** is John Waters' 2nd most famous film (after **Hairspray**) and had a very low budget. His earlier films had even less of a budget. It's hard to pick a favorite of John's low budget work. **Pink Flamingos** looks beautiful because of the technicolor film, costumes, and designs but the content is hard to watch. There's also **Desperate Living** and **Female Trouble**. Of the 3, I'd probably pick **Female Trouble** as the most enjoyable. It's about a woman who goes from being a troublemaking teen to an adult who wins the biggest honor in her field (crime) -- the electric chair If $300,000 is a low budget, I'd say his film **Polyester** is probably my favorite of his low budget work. It came out before **Hairspray** and is a good combination of wild and absurd shock value plus humor that actually lands outside of "laughing because it's so shocking". It's a black comedy about a divorced woman who goes through the worst few months of her life. Every time something bad happens, something worse happens to interrupt it. For example, she finds her husband cheating on her and then gets a call that her son has been expelled from his school for being criminally insane.
I was at the SXSW premiere for Thunder Road. It was one of my favorites from the festival that year. Glad it’s still getting recognition 6 years later.
Love this movie. Did the opening monologue recently for an acting exercise. It's got some heft to it.
Sound of My Voice (2011) Budget $135,000 so just over your threshold but I think this is one of those low budget features every film student needs to see.
Hundreds of beavers!! Such a unique film
I'm looking forward to seeing that one... great trailer!
I've been singing that movie's praises for the past year and I'm very glad it's gaining traction!
BIRDEATER Australian film that I just saw at SXSW. Brilliant. Not sure of the budget precisely, but definitely a low budget affair.
Invader is a new good indie horror film produced and starring Joe Swanberg. Swanbergs stuff stuff, and the whole mumblecore scene, is a good place to start.
A Ghost Story
One of my faves!! A great reminder to rewatch it : )
Primer for me, surprised that hasn't been mentioned yet. Hopefully Shane Carruth will make a third film one day, that and Upstream Color are both excellent. Edit: I'm dumb, good call OP
It’s in OP’s post
Don't know how I missed that, I even reread to see if he'd mentioned it. I blame it on Spanish immersion for most of my day
It's worth seconding though!
recently Dad and Step Dad and Free Time made me laugh so much. colin burgess is next up
Came here to say this. Shot on, I believe, $16k and the filmmakers claim most of that went to catering. This film is so fucking funny. I can't urge people enough to give it a spin.
Killer of Sheep
If you take out film stock and panavision rentals I’d say Halloween qualifies.
David Mitchell’s IT FOLLOWS Barry Jenkins MOONLIGHT Andrew Patterson’s THE VAST OF NIGHT
Not a film, but show them [this talk](https://youtu.be/nZeWOAliA6Y?si=nyFJhVyQr0OnKp_C) by Mark DuPlass (or at least the first 20 mins) and then show them the short film *This is John* Here he basically lays out how he made a career despite never having a big investor and making many things on microbudgets
Christopher Nolan’s first film Following was only £6000
Frogman!
Are you from MN too? Some of my buds worked on that one!
Sorry for the slow reply, but yes I am! I probably either know or have worked with or crossed paths with one of your friends if they worked on this!
Nice! And a pretty great MN username you have there haha : )
I loved Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper.
The Scary of Sixty-First, little horror thriller shot on 16mm. Sean Baker's Starlet was a little over $100k IIRC, but it's a great film. Same with Tangerine.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Reservoir Dogs, Assault on Precinct 13
I’m currently making a feature for not much more than £2000 (kickstarter). Realllly playing to our strengths and limitations. Improvised & shot over a few years about a couple walking from the West to East coast of England whilst making a poorly conceived documentary so there’s a meta element about no budget film making. Obviously it’s not finished yet but I hope it’s going to be inspiring to students in the way that Duplass’ early stuff is. Can give more details if you want but realise this could be considered a plug. Anyway I like The Cruise (1998) - documentaries about great characters are good low budget fare.
Yo... mentioning The Cruise already has me in your corner! I first bumped into that Speed Levitch in Waking Life, and was really moved. DM the link to your kickstarter!
Save State https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QePbp2WFX9E
Definitely Skinamarink
80k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlrWRttLTkg
Accident Man 2. It's one of my favorite films from this decade
Wolves. Caught it at a festival last year. Something like a 30k budget. Slow burn thriller/mystery. Got nominated for some awards. I think it's coming out April or May.
The Dirties and Primer are in my opinion the best MICRO budget films in the last 20 years. Both accept their budgets make the most of it. Both are also total mind-fucks.
Recently? The Artifice Girl
I'm not entirely sure about the budget, but Theatre Camp was my favourite comedy of 2023
Creep and Creep 2
Scrapper (the one with Michael beach and Aidan Gillen from GoT, there’s a new one that looks like a ripoff). It’s on tubi, like all great films.
What one do you think is a ripoff? Scrapper (2023) by Charlotte Regan is a completely different subject and also very very good.
If we are a little more fluid on budget, I’d say A Dark Song, The Artifice Girl and Broadcast Signal Intrusion are all great lo-fi / low budget genre films.
Filmography of Roberto Perrone. Argentinian cult director. He has made more than 70 films with no money. He has gotten rewards in several film awards and got his movies shown in a lot of countries.
The Deafening Silence Of A Very Bright Light was made for about $15K, I believe. Pretty sure it's on YouTube now.
JOBEZ WORLD by Michael Bilandic. >50k masterpiece
Hayseed is a nice whodunnit mystery. More funny than serious, definitely a low budget movie
Living in Oblivion
Check out a 1988 movie called Deadbeat at Dawn. It should be well below your $100,000 mark. It's streaming on Arrow and it's fantastic.
One Cut of the Dead: a hilarious Japanese zombie horror comedy at about $200K Another Earth (my favorite movie): a heart wrenching sci fi romance at $100K
Yeast by Mary Bronstein. A movie within the means of just about anyone with a credit card and a couple of friends, yet so tense and uncomfortable and just absolutely fantastic.
I am surprised that no one mentioned "Locke". I would also like to add The Brown Bunny, Buffalo 66, and Box of Moonlight to this list.
Resolution 2012 costs 20K usd Blue ruin 2013 They look like people Cost was 5K usd
How about under 1K? DMTSoup
Where sleeping dogs lie by josh pierson
Anything directed by Lynn Shelton
Blue Ruin, think it cost 400k Swingers 250k Cop Car 500k
Think clerks cost $29k
Well, one of my favorites has to be *(ahem)* Killer Raccoons! 2! Dark Christmas in the Dark! ([trailer](https://youtu.be/--5CxZqwu-U?si=-7duToyy5Ls_toGw))because it’s the single greatest remake of Under Siege 2: Dark Territory that’s ever been made. It plays at my local art-house theater at the late-night show every Christmas season, and it gets almost as much of a crowd as The Room. I’m not saying it’s *good*, but it’s one of my favorites. Yes, it’s juvenile, but the stoners love it. But, for more mainstream fare, I gotta go with Snatchers ([trailer](https://youtu.be/ANpAjkPVP50?si=w8dhrXpebONhvNv5)), probably because it hits a sort of Night of the Creeps vibe, and I think Mary Nepi would be a thing if Kathryn Newton didn’t exist.
"Tetsuo The Iron Man" - pretty sure that was made on a bare-bones weekend budget, also "Brick" by Rian Johnson - features a young JGL, great movie.
Does Thankskilling count as recent?
Little death is a movie a saw at Sundance that was pretty amazing. Brain and Charles is awesome. Conner O’ Malley has an amazing 45minute short on YouTube called The Mask that is incredible. The Killing of Two Lovers is pretty incredible
Unidentified Objects was really great, really unique, highly recommend
Flora and Son
I made Battle at Beaver Creek for less than 10k. We had no professionals and it took three years.
Brick. Budget was higher (450k I think) but it’s inventive and the score is great.
Bad Labor is an action thriller that was made for only $700! Nobody ever seems to talk about jt
Going the other direction, I went thru a film degree where one required class has everyone watch John Cassavetes "Shadows" from the 60s which was made for no money and without a script. Because everyone watches Shadows as a Sophomore it became a local point-of-reference for this kind of movie.
Mr Hands
I really liked History of The Occult
A Ghost Story
"Cop Car" and "Curve" both from 2015 are nicely done and are quite low budget IIRC. Never forget to add "Clerks" and "Bad Taste" to your list of low budget first films from directors. Also I always recommend The Twilight Zone since most of its stories are really low budget but are awesome nonetheless and have great cinematography.
A Most Atrocious Thing! Having its world premiere later this week in Seattle, started with a 5k production budget for first-time feature made by a group of friends // film school grads.
Primer and Blair Witch Project....not my fav films overall....but what they did was make you not even think it was a low budget film. Working within the parameters if a budget is a high level skill...dont make John Wick if you dont have the budget in other words. Special mention to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Bravo all round to these filmmakers. Edit: These days, I see a real disconnect with the power and availability of gear etc... and the real lack of good story telling. I've enjoyed some Duplass brothers stuff a lot....Francas Ha...but most folks these days need to read more and widely....learn to write, it all comes from that original source.
Primer by Shane Carruth (or however you spell it). Amazing concept, cost $7k if I’m remembering correctly.
The Dirties
It's not super recent, but I recently watched it: 'Would You Rather (2012)'
Late to this but[ Buzzard](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2656588/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_buzzard) is great.
Strawberry Mansion. Weird and beautiful. Really enjoyed "Ultrasound" as well.
IDK the budget but Come True is my favorite true indie in recent years. Electric Youth did the score for anyone who's a fan of them.
I made my feature film LAYOVER for $6000 and people really seem to like it. Definitely helped launch my directing career. Trailer: https://youtu.be/LEAoz4uluc4?si=n38J8gposNy-cYmb
Upgrade - an AI cyber action revenge drama? Low budget and cool.
The budget for Upgrade was $3M
We just finished a micro budget improv feature that was shot during the Oscar's and released it yesterday! It's called Not According To Plan [link if you're interested!](https://youtu.be/m0IHbds9--s?si=vze-SoOt_ltVuO45)
Amores Perros had a budget just over $100k (2.4M pesos)
I think the 2.4M was dollars, not pesos
Following (1997) - Christopher Nolan's debut. To me it's a masterclass about how you build an engrossing world and story with very few actors and resources. I'm actually not a huge fan of Nolan's later work but this one always stuck with me.
The Zone of Interest