Fish Out of Water

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.

Second-hand car sales man Willenbrock has everything that he could ever wish for. He is married, has two lovers, a cottage in the German city Grünen, and a BMW. Yet one day while at his cottage he gets mugged and his life is drastically changed. Little by little the world he once felt safe in falls apart around him.

A musical romantic tragedy about a famous composer who moves back to his small hometown after having had heart troubles. His search for a simple everyday life leads him into teaching the local church choir, which is not easily accepted by the town yet the choir builds a great love for their teacher.

War journalist Paul Prior returns to his New Zealand hometown after his father’s death, rekindling strained relationships with his brother and memories of a troubled past. He befriends Celia, a curious and aspiring writer, who shares a fascination with his world. When Celia mysteriously disappears, Paul becomes the prime suspect, forcing him to confront buried secrets and uncover the dark truths of his family and community.

A mental health PSA about a student overwhelmed with the aspects of her life as a teenage girl.

What would your family reminiscences about dad sound like if he had been an early supporter of Hitler’s, a leader of the notorious SA and the Third Reich’s minister in charge of Slovakia, including its Final Solution? Executed as a war criminal in 1947, Hanns Ludin left behind a grieving widow and six young children, the youngest of whom became a filmmaker. It's a fascinating, maddening, sometimes even humorous look at what the director calls "a typical German story." (Film Forum)

One winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...

A lonely day in the life of someone who feels like simply an extension of the spaces they inhabit. They are hit with the dreadful isolation that exists as a result.

An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a ramen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master.

In early 1960s Northern England, Frank Machin is mean, tough and ambitious enough to become an immediate star in the rugby league team run by local employer Weaver.

Three individuals describe their unique ways of coping with everyday stress, anxiety, and mental health. A narrative short film presented as documentary-style interviews, exploring the honest, messy reality of coping mechanisms and neurodivergent life.

After a traumatic assault, a gay man battles crippling anxiety and fear of the outside world, anchored by the quiet, unwavering love of his partner, who becomes his strength when his own falters.

A tormented man abducts a woman to force his dream of love, sparking a fiery clash that bares their souls and wounded hearts, forging a searing bond in this 27-minute 4K short.

When she learns she's in danger of losing her visa status and being deported, overbearing book editor Margaret Tate forces her put-upon assistant, Andrew Paxton, to marry her.

Based on a fictionalized 2015 memoir from psychiatric nurse Mary Dorsan, the text embeds within a teenage psychiatric ward over the course of a year, teasing out the complex bonds, challenges, frustrations and unexpected moments of grace shared between patients and caregivers.

Ambitious Madleen and carefree creative spirit Hugo embark on a symbolic journey up the mountain of success, exposing the tension between societal pressure and self-fulfillment. While Madleen strives to meet society’s expectations and achieve a high-status career, Hugo chooses to move through life at his own pace, guided by creativity rather than external expectations. The film invites the audience to reflect on the choices young adults face in a success-driven society and to question the decisions we make and the values we prioritize in life.

"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

Ben Quarry is dead. When he wakes up in a daze he realizes he is still trapped in this mortal realm, the only problem is, no one can hear him.

Four students from different backgrounds face new realities of a new life at university. They must adapt to the environment dictated to them in their course in the first year.

A devastating meditation on love and intimacy, unfolding over 24 hours as three friends face the quiet wreckage of their choices.