Lens on Life

A young woman finds fame after befriending an influencer who helps her become popular online.

UJANG (12/M) is memorizing Pancasila (Indonesia’s state ideology) all night, accompanied by his MOTHER (30/F) and FATHER (35/M), for his school exam. While Ujang is studying, he faces one distraction after another, disrupting his focus. These distractions stem from issues (both in the real world and online) that conflict with the values of Pancasila that Ujang is trying to memorize.

A revolutionary is sentenced to death for his anti-national activities. And so begins a battle of wits between the prison officer and his comrades, who try to rescues him with the help of the reluctant hangman who has been selected to deliver the punishment.

The relationship between Claudia and Paula is interfered by the effects of social media.

"The dilemma, to or not to abort a baby arises among a couple who are in live-in relationship, conflicting over their Cultural/political/economical ideologies, the voice of women in a modern relationship."

The madness after a couple exchanges their mobile phones and begins to unearth bitter truth about each other.

A community in Zion Creek, Utah, is turned upside down when a popular high school girl disappears in the midst of her father's political campaign.

18-year-old Maria is a dreamy outsider who lives isolated from the digital world with her quirky grandparents. Bella, egocentric and obsessed with social media fame, films Maria after an alcohol binge with bleeding wounds reminiscent of Jesus' stigmata. The video goes viral and turns Maria into an internet saint. Amidst likes, online healings, and heavenly merchandise, an unexpected and deep friendship develops. But as reports of alleged healings pile up, Maria begins to believe in her “gift” herself.

In an alternate 2019, people have lost the ability to talk to each other. James (Matthew Ruf) is in search for deeper connections within the behemoth of online dating and hookups that manifest the digital world around him.

An ambitious young woman, desperate for followers and fame, fakes a trip to Paris to up her social media presence. When a terrifying incident takes place in the real world and becomes part of her imaginary trip, her white lie becomes a moral quandary that offers her all the attention she’s wanted.

A young mechanical engineer invents a machine that not only saves a four-year-old baby girl from a borewell pit, but also unearths a mysterious theft case in the city.

The main character accepts an award for his short film.

Nagi is the pillar of her small family that includes her husband and her rigid father-in-law. Faced with the possibility of losing her home due to the construction of a dam, Nagi proves her strength.

In this gripping tale about the way social media impacts youth culture, a group of students discover how social media affects their friendships, relationships, and almost every aspect of their lives.

"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

Heleno has a disease unknown to most of the population. In the course of their suffocating routine, situations arise that defy the usual in society. But is it really Heleno's illness that prevents him from adapting to the world?

In a near future, human DNA has been modified to receive internet signals, and by law, everyone must remain connected. Celeste is on the verge of collapse; the constant hyperconnectivity is suffocating her. But when a mysterious AI, housed in a phone-shaped building, offers her a service as tempting as it is dangerous —to disconnect from the network forever— Celeste must decide if freedom is worth the risk.

Zura, a son of a rich businessman, steals a car of his father’s friend to amuse his classmates. When informed about it, the school principal discards him from the bike tournament. Nevertheless, Zura’s father manages to persuade her to allow his son to participate and even succeeds in bribing his championship. Zura’s classmates know that he became a champion undeservedly but can’t do anything about it. Only Khatuna, his alleged girlfriend, and Lexo, Zura’s friend, dare to protest against it. Their lack of loyalty enrages Zura and in the rush of the blood he crashes his father’s car. The accident takes Laxo’s life. Zura’s father does his best to save his son from deserved punishment but the first one against his decision is Zura himself.

A righteous ambulance driver rubs a politician on the wrong side, and the latter decides to teach him a lesson.

Kawamura is a promising young man with everything going for him. On the eve of his wedding, he falls into a deep manhole. Despite sustaining a debilitating injury, he is determined to attend his wedding as planned, and resorts to social networks for help.