10 Awesome Movies That Cost Nothing To Make

5. Slacker (1990)

Budget: $23,000

The 1990s witnessed an explosion of independent cinema as home video technology suddenly granted the ability to make a film to anyone who had the will (and a few credit cards). Slacker, the film which launched Richard Linklater’s career, arguably started it all.

With no centralised narrative, the plot is a series of vignettes, telling the story of various characters in Austin, Texas. Each of these stories is tied together with themes of social exclusion and political marginalization. In retrospect, the movie serves as a time-capsule, perfectly encapsulating the attitudes and opinions of Generation X.

Filming on a shoestring budget, the film was acquired for distribution after it premiered in a local theater. Although it never gained a wide release, it soon garnered a cult following at film festivals and on home video, becoming very popular with college students. It became hugely influential in inspiring indie filmmakers throughout the 1990s, most famously director Kevin Smith who became inspired to make his own movie after seeing it.