1) Eraserhead (1977)
The greatest example of low-budget filmmaking (possibly filmmaking in general) of all time. It’s remarkable that David Lynch knew exactly who he was as an artist from such a young age (approximately 26 at the start of shooting circa 1972). The film may be low budget, but it is still immaculately shot/lit/framed, making it the most visually stunning of this list and one of the most painterly films of all time. Distinctly Lynchian in its pace, editing, tone, and with sound design which returns in his later films; if this film can teach us anything it’s that ideas, patience, and dedication are all-important. Despite its budget, ’Eraserhead’ went on to influence filmmakers as mythical as Stanley Kubrick (can any other feature film debut filmmaker be credited with that?). Lynch sticks to his absurd vision from the get-go, creating a true nightmare captured on screen, and one of the greatest cinematic experiences of all time. Its true value? It gave us the greatest cinematic artist of the past Century.
[Budget: $20,000 approx]
2) Primer (2004)
Hyper-intelligent, mind-bending sci-fi about time travel and everything in between. Shane Caruth is a true pioneer of independent cinema at present (just check out his (successful!) self-distribution strategy for follow-up ‘Upstream Color’). The film follows a group of friends who create “error-checking technology” which eventually, almost accidentally, morphs into a time travel “box”…then the narrative spirals in on itself over and over again. If Caruth were given a large budget at the time he would’ve created ‘Inception’ several years earlier. The low-budget distinction shouldn’t put you off what is arguably one of independent cinema’s greatest revelations, proving ideas and content are all-important.
[Budget: $7,000]
3) The Blair Witch Project (1999)
If nothing else ‘The Blair Witch Project’ was an amazing example of marketing ingenuity. A true no-budget success story, grossing $248,639,099(!!!) worldwide. Unheard of. Filmed in just eight days in Seneca Creek State Park, pretty much the entire film was improvised, with the only guidance being notes left for the actors around the park by the directors. At night the actors would be harassed and tormented by the directors, which serves to lend the found footage gimmick a hideous reality, and makes the audience uncertain about what is fiction and what is fact in this “documentary”. Even now (in spite of the videotape format being particularly dated), after all this time, ‘The Blair Witch Project’ is more than a one-trick pony, as the psychological scares creep you out long after the camera has stopped.
[Budget: $60,000]
4) Pather Panchali (1955)
Unfortunately overlooked because it’s not in the English language, this was produced on a minimal budget of $15,000 but is still, to this day, considered one of the greatest films of world cinema history. Satyajit Ray’s debut was an eloquent depiction of rural Bengali life in a style inspired by Italian neorealism. The natural but poetic evocation of a number of years in the life of a family introduces us to both little Apu and, just as essentially, the women who will help shape him. With beautiful photography informed by its young protagonist’s perpetual sense of discovery, ‘Pather Panchali’, which won an award for Best Human Document at Cannes, is an immersive cinematic experience and a film of elemental power.
[Budget: $15,000 approx]
5) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero (who unfortunately passed this year) launched his career with what is largely considered the film which birthed independent cinema – ‘Night of the Living Dead’. Further information can be found in our #CinemaRevival post from earlier this year.
[Budget: $114,000]
6) Slacker (1991)
Richard Linklater – responsible for ‘Boyhood’, ‘Waking Life’,and the perfect ‘Before Trilogy’ (America’s most underrated filmmaker?) – came to prominence with his $23,000, ideas-driven, narratively-inventive, “medium-is-the-message” breakthrough, ’Slacker’. An unforgettable series of set pieces – some irreverent, some meandering, and some bizarre, but most all of them with stealthily universal resonance – taking place across the college town of Austin, Texas. Linklater’s themes and influences were apparent from the get-go and he has only improved with age, refining his technique and interests.
[Budget: $23,000]
7) Pi (1998)
Darren Aronofsky was surely always destined to be a successful director (later responsible for ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘Black Swan’). Arriving on the scene at the end of the 90s, his calling card was ‘Pi’, which is one of the most unique and confident pieces of filmmaking ever made. Produced for a pittance, ‘Pi’ decides to play by its own rules, with a bleak story of a genius mathematician who’s built a supercomputer at home that provides something that can be understood as a key for understanding all existence. Taking the viewer right into the obsessive madness of its main character, as well as providing a head-scratching and thrilling chase narrative, the themes which would dominate Aronofsky’s later work are all present here, as well as his much admired talent for both script and direction.
[Budget: $60,000]
8) Weekend (2011)
Andrew Haigh is now one of the UK’s greatest directors. Anyone who saw his heartbreaking ’45 Years’ can attest to this. It was after his Nottingham-based micro-budget feature debuted that the world took notice. The synopsis read: After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club, alone and on the pull. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what’s expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else. That weekend, in bars and in bedrooms, getting drunk and taking drugs, telling stories and having sex, the two men get to know each other. It is a brief encounter that will resonate throughout their lives. ‘Weekend’ is both an honest and unapologetic love story between two people, and a film about the universal struggle for an authentic life in all its forms. It is about the search for identity and the importance of making a passionate commitment to your life. Haigh’s raw, emotional and physical, expression of love, alienation, inability to communicate, transfers so naturally and undeterred, that it’s occasionally hard to watch, but inevitably impossible to ignore.
[Budget: $120,000]
9) Tiny Furniture (2010)
Love or hate her, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Lena Dunham had an incredible career trajectory from 2010 onwards, after her micro-budget debut ‘Tiny Furniture’. The impeccable (cannot recommend enough) HBO show ‘Girls’ is unrivalled in showing millennial life in all it’s relatable, vapid, inconsistant, grotesque “glory?”, and Dunham’s micro-budget debut shows all the promise of her later output; with acute observations, intense sincerity and heartbreakingly recognisable moments from the post-university delirium, she shows a universal story can be told with minimal resources and earnest intentions.
[Budget: $65,000]
10) Putney Swope (1969)
Along with ‘Chafed Elbows’, the work of Robert Downey Sr. (yes the dad of the guy you’re thinking of) is remarkable for many reasons – most notably because hardly anyone has heard of them/him. Influencing the likes of Louis CK, the Coen Brothers, and Paul Thomas Anderson, ‘Putney Swope’ in particular is one of the greatest satires of all time, and shows true, manic filmmaking energy and ingenuity at its best. It tells the story of the token black man on the executive board of an advertising firm accidentally put in charge. Renaming the business “Truth and Soul, Inc.”, he replaces the tight regime of monied white ad men with his militant brothers. Soon afterwards, however, the power that comes with its position takes its toll on Putney. Available free online here.
[Budget: $120,000]
Honourable mentions
Un Chien Andalou, Shadows, Carnival of Souls, American Movie, Pink Flamingos, In the Company of Men, Once, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Grizzly Man, The First Movie, Evil Dead, Another Earth, Jafar Panahi’s Taxi