Programmed June 2022

Microbudget Movies

No budget? No problem! Short on cash but flush with inspiration, these resourceful filmmakers prove that passion and creative vision can turn scarcity into opportunity. From the ultimate in B-noir sleaze ( Detour ) to counterculture sensations from the indie underground ( Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song , Eraserhead ) to early masterpieces from celebrated international auteurs like Chantal Akerman (<em.Je tu il elle), David Lynch ( Eraserhead ), Jim Jarmusch ( Stranger Than Paradise ), Richard Linklater ( Slacker</em.), and Jia Zhangke ( Xiao Wu ), the films in this collection—all made for $150,000 or less—make a little go a long way, refusing to let their shoestring budgets hamper their artistic invention.