This Critically Acclaimed Time-Travel Movie Was Made On A Mere $7,000 Budget

A young filmmaker made an award-winning sci-fi film in his directorial debut, and that too on a budget of just $7000. Scroll down to know which film that was.

By
Pranshu Awasthi
- May 13, 2025 | 6:20 PM IST
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When we think of sci-fi films, movies like James Cameron’s Avatar and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar usually cross our minds. Massively mounted films that have premium production values backed by an enormous budget. There is no doubt that these are great movies, but some sci-fi films have somehow managed to make an impact without the backing of a big production house, a hotshot director, and a star-studded cast. And Shane Carruth’s 2004 flick ‘Primer’ is one such gem. It’s a mind-bending time travel movie that was made on a budget of just $7000. Can you believe it? A film like Primer is the perfect proof that a terrific idea, combined with great storytelling, is the heart of a well-made sci-fi film. (Via IndieWire)

Primer – Plot & Cast

Directed by Shane Carruth, the sci-fi film follows the story of two friends and engineers, Aaron and Abe (played by Shane Carruth and David Sullivan), who accidentally invent a time-travel machine while working together on a different invention. One of the friends builds a version that can transport a living person across time. After the unexpected invention, the friends use the device to make small financial gains from the stock market. However, their obsession with controlling the past results in mistrust and paranoia, which affects their relationship. The film also features Casey Gooden and Anand Upadhyaya in interesting roles.

Primer – Critical Reception & Audience Feedback

The film received decent feedback from several critics and viewers. It was the Grand Jury Prize winner at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Primer has a critics’ score of 72% on the reviews aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes and a slightly higher audience score of 79%. The film has a user rating of 6.7/10 on IMDb.

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Is Primer Available On OTT?

Unfortunately, Primer is not currently available on any Indian OTT platform. Stay tuned to Koimoi for updates on that.

Primer Trailer

You can watch Primer’s trailer here to get a better idea of the film and its plot.

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