LOWER BUDGET FOREIGN SALES-FRIENDLY FILM TYPES
DESIRABLE FOR THE 8168 FEATURE FILM PRIZE
Note: This is not an endorsement of these films, just examples of the kinds of films that can succeed within our
parameters. Where listed, budgets are not adjusted for inflation. To calculate today’s value, visit
www.usinflationcalculator.com
FAMILY AND KIDS
THE ISLAND OF SECRETS (2014): Forced to vacation in Greece with dad, stepmom and two
stepbrothers. Toni, age 15, just wants to go home. Then he meets and falls for a girl, who is kidnapped
because of a hidden treasure. Toni and his stepbrothers rescue Adriana, despite the mounting danger.
THE ADVENTURE CLUB: Self-proclaimed “Adventurers,” Ricky, Sandy and Bill are from a family of
great adventurers, yet they are bored. Ricky ventures into the attic and an old desk with a hidden drawer
reveals a skeleton key and map and the Adventure Club springs to life!
THE PRANKSTER (2010): A secret society rights the wrongs of high school by pulling sophisticated
pranks on deserving malefactors. Chris Karas is the brilliant leader of The Pranksters, who longs for a
deeper meaning from his life, especially with graduation looming. Guided by his sage but eccentric Uncle
Nick, Chris embarks on a challenging path of self-discovery & romance. Budget: $1.7M.
COMING OF AGE
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004): This surreal coming-of-age comedy quickly gained a cult following,
and deservedly so! It would be difficult to find a more painfully awkward character than the perpetually
out of place fantasist Napoleon Dynamite. His teenage troubles struck a chord with the awkward fifteenyear-old inside us all, and the movie took a worldwide gross of over $46 million, giving it a healthy
5,667% return on its budget of $400,000. Director Jared Hess’ next project, Nacho Libre, didn’t do quite
so well (and perhaps was never likely to with its somewhat larger budget of $32 million), taking in a
merely respectable $99 million worldwide. Budget: $400,000
WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (1995) USA Writer/Director: Todd Solondz Budget: $800,000.
While films like "Napoleon Dynamite" use young social outcasts to create completely unrealistic
humorous and feel good moments, "Welcome to the Dollhouse" cuts to the bone, creating a painfully
realistic look at adolescence. The film explores the horrors of an unattractive, unpopular girl trying to
survive middle school. It serves as a reminder that although your childhood might have been hard, nothing
compares to what this girl went through. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at
the 1996 Sundance Film Festival. Budget $800,000
CLERKS (1994): Kevin Smith directed and acted as the character Silent Bob and shot on location in the
convenience store where he was employed. It launched his career. The movie spoke to a generation of
disaffected slackers and managed to rake in an incredible $3,894,240 worldwide gross, for a percentage
return of over 7,000%. Budget $27,000
SWINGERS (1996): USA Writer: Jon Favreau Director: Doug Liman Budget: $250,000 Long before
helming such projects as "Elf" and "Iron Man," Jon Favreau penned this indie masterpiece. Long regarded
as one of the top comedies of its generation, "Swingers" managed to catapult many up and coming artists
to the big business. Vince Vaughn was quickly hired after "Swingers" debuted to star in Steven Spielberg’s
"The Lost World," Jon Favreau was acknowledged as a well-respected artist, and Doug Liman went on to
direct such films as "The Bourne Identity" and "Go." Budget: $250,000
©2017 168 Film Project
SCI-FI
INCARNATION (2016): A man awakens with no idea who he is. Masked assassins kill him. He wakes
again and the murder repeats. Stuck in a hellish loop, he must unravel the mystery. With each death he gets
closer to the truth. NOTE: WE DON’T WANT A VIOLENT FILM, so try this with high/college school kids
and an embarrassing situation that repeats itself. Budget: $350,000
THRILLERS – NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL
THE MAID’S ROOM (2013): A psychological thriller exploring the relationship between truth and
justice, hubris and power, wealth and fear. Drina, a young immigrant girl is hired by the Crawford family
as a live-in maid for their weekend house in East Hampton. One night Brandon, their son is involved in a
hit and run. Drina unwittingly becomes the only person outside of the family to know that Brandon killed a
man. The Crawford family is determined to hide the crime. Mr. Crawford is a powerful and ruthless man.
When Drina is will not comply, she becomes expendable. Budget $600,000
PI (1998): as you might have guessed, is a movie about math. What you might not have guessed is that it’s
a psychological thriller, and it was shot for $60,000 before being released in 1998. Some of the ways
Aronofsky was able to complete the film for such a shoestring budget include hiring his mom as the
caterer. Aronofsky’s friends and family members chipped in $100 apiece. When the film was sold for
$1,000,000, Aronofsky gave $150 back to anyone who contributed. Budget $60,000
THE MESSENGER: Explores the realms of mental illness and the supernatural. In and out of mental
wards all of his life Jack is plagued by visions of ghosts harassing him to resolve their issues with the
living. Unemployed and haunted by these unwanted ghosts that no one else sees, he struggles to maintain a
normal life.
MISFORTUNE: When a desperate man learns of the parole of the killer of his murdered father, it sets off
a cat-and-mouse chase through the hostile desert, searching for a hidden family inheritance.
SOCIAL SUICIDE (2015): A mystery thriller showing the lengths teenagers will go for fame. Internetobsessed teenagers die mysteriously and when the lead suspect disappears, net-boy Balthazar lands on the
hot seat. While the experts try to unravel the truth online, clips, vines and memes rain in from the etherworld to muddy the investigation.
SUBTERRANEA (2015): Having spent his entire life in a dark cell, never seeing another human being,
the "Captive" is released into society and must learn how to live for the first time as an adult.
THIS IS HELL: Unappreciated American writer Jack goes to the Hel Peninsula in Poland to write, and
soon, tourists start disappearing. One is found dead. A local investigator discovers his role in the dark story
that Jack is writing.
THE TEMPLE: A tangled mystery exploring the darkest ends of Japanese folklore. In a temple, locals
discover a survivor on the edge of insanity. He is so disfigured that identification is impossible. Forensics
ties him to a group of young Americans who were lost and abandoned.
©2017 168 Film Project
MYSTERY - CRIME
BRANDED (2016): A post-apocalyptic-western. Alexander Dante is exiled for killing his beloved brother
Edwin. Later, he receives a letter, from Edwin, stating he now lives in the distant village on the enclosed
map. Alexander dismisses the letter as a hoax but later, makes the arduous trek to the tranquil village.
There, he confronts the impossible: his brother is still alive. Overjoyed yet perplexed, Alexander must find
the truth about the brother he knows he killed.
SACRED HEART (2016): A religious man rejects his faith, after the tragic death of his pregnant wife. A
priest pushes him to question his own beliefs and his sanity as he challenges the Devil.
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE: Detective David Ramsey’s perfect vacation comes to a horrific crossroad
aboard a private yacht on the Sea of Cortez as his wife and friends suddenly disappear. The boat’s owner is
linked to seedy criminal underworld. As David unravels the mystery, he is shocked to awaken from a
nightmare. He is caught in a recurring loop that he is powerless to stop. He fights to save his wife against
dark forces before time runs out.
ACTION/SPORTS
AMBUSHED (1988): Action/Adventure. Mother and son, Diane and Michael Ireland have just completed
another successful medical mission trip to Mexico. When the plane arrives to take them home to Texas,
bandits attempt to steal it.
THE CURE (2014): A drug company scientist learns that her employer has discovered and buried the
cure for cancer in an effort to promote their chemotherapy drugs. Her life is endangered when she attempts
to bring the cure to the world. Budget $1.5M
ROCKY (1976): Why do you wanna fight?” says Adrian. “Cause I can’t sing or dance,” replies Rocky.
Perhaps this exchange epitomizes the reason for the classic boxing movie’s success and overwhelming cult
status. It provided a cinematic classic for a largely male audience who needed a hero; one that wasn’t
heroic because of his moon walk or falsetto, but for his fighting spirit. With a budget of $1 million, Rocky
notched up an impressive worldwide gross of $225 million, giving a percentage return of over 11,000%.
Budget $1 Million
OFF PISTE (2016): An ex-SAS Corporation recluse hides in the mountains of French Alps to escape a
traumatic past. He is exposed and hunted down by those whose lives he has destroyed. Budget $301,000
LORD OF THE FLIES (1963) UK Writer/Director: Peter Brook. Few films can be considered
respectable adaptations of classic novels, but Lord of the Flies manages to do so, but only loosely
following the story. Brook let the children run wild, encouraging improvisation, creating a natural and
primitive feel to the film, matching the tone of the book. Budget $250,000
MUSICAL:
ONCE (2007): A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in
Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story. It won the 2008 Independent
Spirit Award for best foreign film, an Oscar for Best Original Song and two Grammy nominations for its
soundtrack. The worldwide gross was almost $19 million, or 6,000%. Budget:$150,000
©2017 168 Film Project