Staff Pick
NoBudge Starter Pack #1 • Drama, Short Films, 08-Mar-2021
A satirical look into a male filmmaker's creation, and the repercussions of his narcissistic behaviors that span across four realities. “Staff Pick,” directed by Mitch deQuilettes, is a mind-bending series of vignettes on art and life, both melodramatic and deeply self-aware. A straight man in L.A. spends the day with a gay friend. An actor experiences doubts portraying a bi-curious man. The girlfriend of a director (and his artistic collaborator) feels taken advantage of and removed from the process. The fact that nothing is quite what it seems only adds complexity to its themes of gender identity, toxic masculinity, and power struggles. Led by terrific performances across the board (which perfectly convey messy relationships, professional and private), deQuilettes’ film is a brilliant dissection on the creative process, brutal and darkly funny. -KA. Director, Editor: Mitch deQuilettes. Writer, Producer: Chasen Bauer & Mitch deQuilettes. Cast: Max Baumgarten, Mani Yarosh, Sydney Schafer, Katherine Hughes, Boni Mata, D'Angelo Lacy, Rick Darge. Director of Photography, Colorist: Scott Siracusano. Production Designer: Elizabeth Godar. Original Music: Michael James Lee. Sound: Justin Fox. On-Set Acting Coach: Chasen Bauer.
Up Next in NoBudge Starter Pack #1
-
Voices of God
The trajectories of two teenage boys on opposite sides of a death in their town and the outlets they look to for emotional stability in the aftermath. | Directed by Cole Borgstadt.
-
Trash Scab
An entrepreneur pivots with the market. “Trash Scab,” directed by Philip Steiger, is a scarily plausible, bitingly funny vision of a dystopian nightmare. The circumstances have been exaggerated from our current reality but not by much: a pandemic rages on, a citywide curfew in place, police have ...
-
Sweet Things
Anne gathers herself for a job interview, a casual one at a coffee shop, but still a job interview. When her potential new employer arrives, a smooth, well-dressed man named Georg, giving off all the social cues of a first date, she’s caught off-guard and scrambles to react. Brilliantly observed ...