Hot Road

Teenager Kazuki Miyaichi has always felt unloved by her mother due the circumstances surrounding her birth. Because she harbors anxiety and perceives herself as being worthless to others, she engages in acts of juvenile delinquency. One day, a transfer student from Yokohama named Eri introduces her to Hiroshi Haruyama, a reckless youth who’s a member of the “Nights” motorcycle gang. Kazuki finds herself increasingly drawn to Hiroshi over time, but he soon becomes leader of the Nights and gets caught up in a conflict with a rival gang.

14

Mick is rejected by the girl of his dreams, and from there on, he solely exists by himself. The first short film of a planned quadrilogy.

Wrong Way

In this short film the director reflects on the feeling of being on the wrong path in your life, that you have no control over your own life. But coming to the conclusion, it's life, we all go through it, and without these moments of fall we don't learn to live.

Who Are You Really?

"A socially anxious college student reluctantly heads to a party attempting to make new friends. Nande Walters directs “Who Are You Really?”, an experimental portrait of insecurity characterized by a raw, youthful energy. Anya walks into the room and immediately feels like everyone is judging her. Eventually she strikes up a conversation with a young man, but neither really knows what to say and it doesn’t go anywhere. After struggling through the awkward night, she’s surprised to learn that an extroverted friend didn’t fare much better. Walters is only 19 years old, one of the youngest we’ve ever featured on NoBudge, and her film is the work of an artist still learning her craft but she clearly knows the feeling she’s after and captures it with pops of style and a touching closing monologue." -Kentucker Audley

Querido Theo

Because I Love You

After a career-ending injury, Dan Greentree and his wife find themselves at odds over their future. As tensions rise and painful truths surface, their love is tested like never before. But beneath the anger and uncertainty, one thing remains clear—they can’t bear to lose each other.

Double Dog Dare: The Pitch

Seven years after losing his wife and child to a group of sadistic eleven-year-olds, Paul meticulously plans his brutal revenge against the now-teenage perpetrators. In a tense confrontation, Paul is visited by the ghost of his late wife, Helena, who pleads with him to abandon his violent quest. As Helena tries to convince him of the consequences of vengeance, Paul reveals the dark steps he has already taken in his pursuit of retribution.

The Devil's Road

When two friends embark on their yearly winter road trip, old memories come back to haunt them.

Tideland

Because of the actions of her irresponsible parents, a young girl is left alone on a decrepit country estate and survives inside her fantastic imagination.

Voicemail

Voicemail takes place in the dark and lonely living room of Dean Franklin as he sends a voicemail to the lover of his 20s. He reminisces on the times they spent together and his regrets during a dire time...

The Goldfish

This film is an adaptation of Etgar Keret's famed short story 'What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish?' in which a young man named Yoni (Jason Ritter) sets out to make a documentary about the secret longings of everyday Americans. By knocking on strangers doors and asking them this question: 'If you had a magic goldfish that granted you three wishes, what of this goldfish would you wish?' Yoni thinks he will discover the hopes, dreams and greatest wishes his fellow citizens. But Yoni is not prepared when he meets an elderly immigrant named Sergei who we learn has been wrestling with the exact same question for years and is desperate not to lose his old friend-- a beautiful talking goldfish (Lucy Punch).

TARDE

Adrift

In this Lego stop-motion animated short brickfilm, an astronaut mysteriously trapped in space recounts how things could have been different

Garage

Due to a learning disability, Josie's life in a tiny town revolves around a menial job taking care of a garage that could close at any day. Things start to change, however, when David, the son of his boss' girlfriend, comes to work with him. Josie hangs out with David and his teenage friends, bringing them beer, and despite being a grown man himself, finds that the new company lifts his spirits. But his simple-mindedness blinds him to some potential legal dangers.

Nina

Getting ready to go their own ways in life, an uncertain boy and his anxious girlfriend have to decide how to navigate their next steps.

Penitent

After being imprisoned for dangerous driving, causing the death of a child and possession of illegal substances, Jason Buckley is finding it difficult to adjust to life outside prison.

97%

A man tries to track down a potential love interest on a crowded train using a smartphone app.

Spirits in the Dark

A lonely widower finds a mysterious video on his computer that leads him to an abandoned town occupied by an ominous entity.

PALOMA

Paloma is a young adult who finds herself living in automatic mode, following every imposed social norm, already working in an office and living alone in a studio apartment. Her daily life passes fleetingly and with little taste, until one night, after a long day of work, she receives an email titled FOR MY FUTURE SELF, which prompts her to change her life.

Marty

Marty, a butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother is unmarried at 34. Good-natured but socially awkward he faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married but has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood. Marty meets Clara, an unattractive school teacher, realising their emotional connection, he promises to call but family and friends try to convince him not to.