In preparation for the coming revolution of The Return Of The Microbudget Film
Resources: A list of 50+ good films made for under $300K
As we’ve mused here about why there isn’t a global movement of inexpensive ambitiously authored movies currently, one that could embrace the principles of NonDē distribution, I thought it was worth spend 15 minutes brainstorming what have been the films made for less than $300K that have caught my eye, I helped get made, or that helped change things culturally.
It is worth noting why such a list is needed today. Wanna guess?
Yes, because the system is broken. We’ve been doing the wrong thing for forty years. We didn’t build so-called “indie” to do anything more than to be a transactional farm team for Hollywood. It was never built to be sustainable for the art, artist, or ecosystem.
We’ve never had a national economic film policy despite entertainment being America’s second biggest export after war and the military. And now the neglect has made it virtually idiotic to make a film above $2M in America. That’s another conversation.
I’ve listed some excellent films made on the super cheap in descending chronological order. And I am sure I missed a bunch. And I am only including fiction films. Can you let me know what ones I forgot?
I wish I knew the international scene better…. And had a few more recent examples.
And this list is not adjusted for today’s dollars.
Films Made For Under $300K That Should Be Required Viewing
It Doesn't Matter (2024) – Josh Mond – <$300,000
The Black Sea (2024) – Crystal Moselle & Derrick B. Harden – <$300,000
The Accident (2023) – Giuseppe Garau – ~$185,000
Hundreds of Beavers (2022) – Mike Cheslik – ~$150,000
Lola (2022) – Andrew Legge – <$300,000
Ham on Rye (2020) – Tyler Taormina — ~$30,000
The Killing of Two Lovers (2020) – Robert Machoian – ~$250,000
Thunder Road (2018) – Jim Cummings — ~$190,000
A Ghost Story (2017) – David Lowery — ~$100,000
Krisha (2015) – Trey Edward Shults – ~$30,000
The Fits (2015) – Anna Rose Holmer – ~$150,000
Tangerine (2015) – Sean Baker – ~$100,000
It Felt Like Love (2013) – Eliza Hittman – ~$100,000
Upstream Color (2013) – Shane Carruth – ~$50,000–100,000
Another Earth (2011) – Mike Cahill – ~$100,000
Bellflower (2011) — Evan Glodell — ~$17,000
Tiny Furniture (2010) – Lena Dunham – ~$65,000
Humpday (2009) – Lynn Shelton – ~$75,000
Made In China (2009) — Judith Krant – <$300,000
Afterschool (2008) — Antonio Campos – <$300,000
Baghead (2008) – Jay & Mark Duplass – ~$50,000
Prince of Broadway (2008) – Sean Baker – ~$50,000–$75,000
Frownland (2007) – Ronald Bronstein — ~$50,000–$100,000
Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) – Joe Swanberg – ~$60,000
Paranormal Activity (2007) – Oren Peli – ~$15,000
Old Joy (2006) – Kelly Reichardt – ~$30,000
The Puffy Chair (2005) – Jay & Mark Duplass — ~$15,000
Take Out (2004) – Sean Baker & Shih-Ching Tsou – ~$5,000
Primer (2004) – Shane Carruth – ~$7,000
The Blair Witch Project (1999) – Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez – ~$60,000
Pi (1998) – Darren Aronofsky – ~$60,000
Following (1998) – Christopher Nolan – ~$6,000
The Last Broadcast (1998) — Stefan Avalos & Lance Weiler — $900 (less than $1K and the first digital feature)
The Sticky Fingers of Time (1997) – Hilary Brougher – ~$250,000
In the Company of Men (1997) – Neil LaBute – ~$25,000
River of Grass (1994) – Kelly Reichardt – <$300,000
What Happened Was... (1994) – Tom Noonan – ~$200,000
Go Fish (1994) – Rose Troche – ~$15,000
Clerks (1994) – Kevin Smith – ~$27,000
Clean, Shaven (1993) – Lodge Kerrigan – ~$60,000
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992) – Leslie Harris – ~$130,000
Laws of Gravity (1992) – Nick Gomez – ~$38,000
El Mariachi (1992) – Robert Rodriguez – ~$7,000
Man Bites Dog (1992) – Rémy Belvaux et al. – ~$33,000
The Hours and Times (1991) – Christopher Münch – ~$15–$20K
Poison (1991) – Todd Haynes – ~$250,000
The Unbelievable Truth (1989) – Hal Hartley – ~$150,000
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) – Shinya Tsukamoto – ~$100,000–130,000
She’s Gotta Have It (1986) – Spike Lee – ~$175,000
Stranger Than Paradise (1984) – Jim Jarmusch – ~$100,000
Chan Is Missing (1982) – Wayne Wang – $22,000
Smithereens (1982) – Susan Seidelman – ~$50,000
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980) – John Sayles – ~$60,000
Killer of Sheep (1978) – Charles Burnett — ~$10,000 (original UCLA thesis film)
Wanda (1970) – Barbara Loden — ~$115,000
Faces (1968) – John Cassavetes — ~$275,000
Nothing But a Man (1964) – Michael Roemer — ~$300,000
Shadows (1959) – John Cassavetes — ~$40,000
Now we just need to have someone volunteer to program these every monday night over the year, do an end of the year marathon, and publish the coffee table book!
mine! we made Ramona at Midlife for just under 300K!
Great post, thank you for this. I think there will always be filmmakers creating great movies on a shoestring budget (I'm currently in post-production on mine). Achieving this is hard, but not remotely as hard as what follows: these movies are often completely ignored by the film industry. Indeed, they compete for the same 40 spots at top festivals with multi-million dollar movies - I am reusing here the phrasing of Carlos A. Gutiérrez (@carlosagutierrez), who recently wrote one of the best and most comprehensive posts about this https://substack.com/home/post/p-167433540.
Invariably and regardless of quality, the film industry favors the latter. There is also a very real 'legacy problem'. One young filmmaker is acclaimed for his first or second movie, and then is assured access to one of the 40 spots for his next 5 films, albeit these might not be good at all. It's not an industry, it's a club, and a club that artificially created a bottleneck to keep small films at bay. There is also a culture of 'big bucks or bust' that leads to scorn for the poor and the unconnected - read movies with no budgets and no support. Making a movie with no money is almost shameful in this country, and independent filmmakers are often looked down on as if only one degree away from homelessness. This lack of respect and appreciation for the artistry is truly a shock when one comes from a country, France, whose renowned Cinema is built almost entirely on such movies.