Echoes of Departure

A person pitches an idea to their boss about manipulation of gravity.

Minna and Leo run into each other by chance at a bar. As they walk together throughout the evening, sharing conversations and quiet moments, something begins to form between them.

It's been a long time since they have met, and when an unexpected event happens, something shifts. Uncovering what they actually meant to each other, everything seems more clear than ever.

Nine fictitious documentaries and films reflect the mood of late 1970s Germany, particularly the two-month period in 1977 when a businessman was kidnapped by the RAF (Red Army Faction). The kidnap had been made to orchestrate the release of the original leaders of the RAF, aka the Baader-Meinhof.

"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

Antoine - a grieving loner - spends his days in a cafe on Place Clichy watching people. Every day, he sees a woman he calls Albertine get out of the subway and go to the movies. Today, he takes it upon himself to talk to her. Thus began Antoine's down-going.

Two friends, plagued by bouts of 'existentiality', begin to doubt their existence and spiral into trying to find what life is truly about.

Two strangers visit the penthouse of a recently deceased lover, only to find themselves learning more about each other.

Two university students gain insight into life and love as they get to know each other during a road trip across Europe.

A filmmaker is invited to an actor's house, who is keenly interested in his story. For the story to be told, the characters need to speak for themselves so they began speaking and they said

When Gabriel and Emilie meet by chance, he offers her a ride, and they spend the evening talking, laughing and getting along famously. At the end of the night, Emilie declines Gabriel's offer of "a kiss without consequences". Emilie admonishes him that the kiss could have unexpected consequences, and tells him a story, unfolding in flashbacks, about the impossibility of indulging your desires without affecting someone else's life.

A conversation between two Ecuadorian friends in the city of Panama.

Various interconnected people struggle to survive when an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles, California.

When a prostitute is found dead in a Los Angeles skyscraper occupied by a large Japanese corporation, detectives John Connor and Web Smith are called in to investigate. Although Connor has previous experience working in Japan, cultural differences make their progress difficult until a security disc showing the murder turns up. Close scrutiny proves the disc has been doctored, and the detectives realize they're dealing with a cover-up as well.

An anthology of eleven vignettes featuring star-studded casts of extremely unique individuals who all share the common activities of conversing while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.

Two old friends meet for dinner; as one tells anecdotes detailing his experiences, the other notices their differing worldviews.

Several lost-soul night-owls, including a nightclub owner, a talk radio relationship counselor, and an itinerant stranger have encounters that expose their contradictions and anxieties about love and acceptance.

Before heading off to college, an overthinking teenager asks out a former girlfriend in an effort to reconnect and hold on to his past.

An elderly woman is approached by a salesman who attempts to manipulate her into signing a contract.

Two disparate strangers, a Gen Xer and a Millennial, form an unlikely bond on a rooftop after both experiencing traumatic situations.