Starring: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg

Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, Thelma puts a clever spin on movies like Mission: Impossible, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency. In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business — despite what her daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg), or grandson Danny might believe.

NoBudge is happy to present a new program of nine short films from a group of emerging indie filmmakers mostly based in New York. We’re focused on young characters searching for escape or catharsis, feeling suffocated or cursed. True to the nature of no-budget filmmaking, the work doesn’t shy away from being lo-fi, homemade, or experimental. There’s a taste of absurd humor in sections but perhaps it’s one of our edgier lineups in recent memory, playing against the idea of light summer viewing. Seven of the films are premieres and the majority of the filmmakers will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A and Afterparty.

NoBudge is an online platform spotlighting the best in low-budget indie filmmaking. “One of the best places to sample what’s happening in low-budget cinema worldwide,” says Glenn Kenny of The New York Times. Its mission is to provide a supportive home for emerging indie filmmakers working with limited resources and without major industry connections, and to be a trusted discovery platform.

Georgia
NY Premiere
Director Maci Parker present.
Deep in the American south, a girl living in a trailer park feels suffocated by her surroundings when her best friend reveals that she is pregnant.
(8 min)

The Expanding Horizon
NY Premiere
Director Christian Meola present.
A 16-year-old makes an unusual request of his drug dealer classmate.
(10 min)

Jumbotron
NY Premiere
Director Jack Solomon present.
After getting on the “dance cam” at a professional sporting event, Drew quickly loses his mind along with his sense of reality.
(12 min)

Teeth Tacs
NY Premiere
Director Steph Twyford-Rigley present.
After a ten year hiatus, two friends reunite to break a mysterious curse.
(7 min)

THE DAYS FLY GALLOPING FROM ME; YET THE LONG DRAGGING OF EACH ONE MAKES ME WEARY, WEARY
NY Premiere
Director Tynan DeLong present.
A guy asks his friends to see the new Beyoncé movie.
(7 min)

Compounding Negativity
Brooklyn Premiere
Director Alex Sovoda present.
A young man achieves success on the internet.
(16 min)

GINGER BOY and The Purpose of Life on Earth
NY Premiere
Director Spencer Witmer present.
Ginger, a perpetually stoned good-for-nothing pothead floats past life’s responsibilities on a cloud of green smoke until she accidentally smokes an ounce of K2 and descends into an existential rabbit-hole.
(20 min)

The Third Ear
After seeing a botched depiction of himself, Sammy, a nude drawing model, sprouts an ear from the back of his head, spiraling his sense of self-image and life out of control.
(13 min)

Happy Ending
Director Ahmad Bakrin present.
When a young line cook hears the voices of his favorite podcasters beckoning him like sirens, the mundane becomes macabre.
(9 min)

Starring: Anja Plaschg, Maria Hofstätter, David Scheid

Join The Future of Film is Female for a special screening of THE DEVIL’S BATH. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison. Giving a voice to the invisible and unheard women of the rural past, The Devil’s Bath is based on historical court records about a shocking, hitherto unexplored chapter of European history.

Before The Devil’s Bath, we’ll be screening Lael Rogers’ 2023 short The Influencer (10 min)
A social media influencer describes her perfect day harvesting the eyes and minds of her followers to achieve immortality.

Starring: Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, René Auberjonois, Carrie Snodgrass

Join The Future of Film is Female for a special screening of Kino Lorber’s new 4k restoration of THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

Ostracized from 19th-century society when she gives birth to a child out of wedlock, Josephine Monaghan (Suzy Amis) decides to disappear into the American West and create a new life for herself. After befriending an educated Englishman (Sir Ian McKellan), Josephine comes to realize that the frontier is no place for a young, attractive woman, traveling alone. And so she crops her hair, dons male attire, and transforms herself into a young man. As “Jo,” she not only survives in the rugged world of miners and ranchers, she flourishes. Freed from societal restraints, she pursues true independence, acquiring a homestead and embarking on a relationship with a Chinese laborer (David Chung). But Jo comes to realize that even in the wilderness, there are certain rigid social mores from which one can never escape.

Reminiscent of McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Heaven’s Gate, The Ballad of Little Jo is a resplendent film that offers an allegorical critique of sex and power in America, even as it remains loyal to the spirit of the Western. The film features sharp-edged performances by Bo Hopkins, Rene Auberjonois and Cathy Haase, as well as early appearances by Melissa Leo and Heather Graham.

Starring: Rachel Sennott, Olga Petsa, Jason Jones, Sabrina Jalees, Caleb Hearon, Ennis Esmer, Dani Kind

Stand-up comedian Sam struggles with PTSD, and considers joining the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.

Starring: Edward Furlong, Anthony Edwards, Clancy Brown, Darlanne Fluegel, Jason McGuire

When his mother, Renee (Darlanne Fluegel), dies, young Jeff Matthews (Edward Furlong) moves back to his hometown with his father, Chase (Anthony Edwards). Jeff grows friendly with Drew Gilbert (Jason McGuire) at school, who tells him about the Indian burial grounds that bring people and animals back to life, which led to the deaths of the Creed family who used to live in town. Desperately missing his mom, Jeff ignores warnings and buries her corpse, only to have her return in deadly zombie form.

Starring: Stephen Dorff, Christa Denton, Louis Tripp, Scot Denton, Deborah Grover

When Al (Christa Denton) and Glenn’s (Stephen Dorff) parents (Deborah Grover, Scot Denton) leave town for the weekend, Al uses the opportunity to throw a party while little brother Glenn and his friend Terry (Louis Tripp) decide to explore a hole left by a tree-removal service in the backyard. When unexplainable phenomena begin occurring, Terry — with the help of his extensive heavy-metal music collection — comes to the conclusion that he and Glenn have accidentally opened a gateway to hell.

Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi

A hooded figure forces a young diva (Cristina Marsillach) to watch as he murders performers in a production of Verdi’s opera “Macbeth.”

Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok

A masked man with a metal-claw glove stalks models at a couple’s (Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok) fashion salon in Rome.