5 Questions with Kentucker Audley
For the inaugural 5 Questions, we asked NoBudge founder and programmer about the beginnings of NoBudge, and his thoughts on the role the site plays in the current indie film scene…
Why did you start NoBudge?
I started NoBudge to be a home for movies without a home. Most low-budget movies don’t get seen. I wanted to establish a platform for these movies. We're mainly focused on young filmmakers making their first work, finding their voices. I think there’s a purity to an artist’s early work. There’s a ton of energy and passion and fearlessness there.
What’s different about NoBudge than your typical streaming site?
First and foremost, because we’re focused entirely on no-budget work, which I think is an important sub-category of indie film. You don't have to be a rich kid or highly connected in the movie world to make a no-budget movie. The movie biz is a tough industry to break into, and sometimes it’s better to stay on the outside.
How would you describe the sensibility of your programming?
I have a pretty broad taste. I love character-based stuff. I love films that don’t take themselves too seriously, or alternatively, ones that take themselves very seriously, but not in a pretentious way. I love lo-fi or edgy stuff, but also films with great visuals, or unique tones. Or films that go deep into exploring anxieties or struggles. On the other end of the spectrum, I don’t love slick production values, or things with an obvious hook or gimmick, or things that try to be inspiring or trendy in a one-dimensional way.
Beginning as an online platform, what was the impetus to start the live screenings?
It’s just nice to watch movies in a movie theater, free from distractions. And it’s good to get all the filmmakers together, give them a chance to meet and talk. And give the audience an opportunity to connect a face and a personality with the vision they see on screen.
How do you see NoBudge in relationship with the rest of the film industry?
Well, in most ways we are completely outside of it. I think a counterculture is important for a healthy society to have. Everything is so homogenized and streamlined — most of the movies we come into contact with have been vetted and sculpted by billion dollar corporations. We need healthy independent organizations that exist outside that ecosystem to keep it honest. But we’re not totally anti-establishment. I love to see filmmakers that we’ve featured find more mainstream success. Hopefully we can be a launching pad to those who are interested in that kind of career arc. But there’s plenty of reasons to make a movie besides making money or getting famous.
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Contact Info:
Email: nobudgefilms@gmail.com