No/low-budget hard SF film - any ideas?

I'll have to watch that. But at least my idea hasn't already been done (where's the girl on the run from her oppressive father?)...

Now I need something to produce the space scenes with...

You could always tie a rope to someone's belt, and hold them in the air, and then use software to eliminate the rope. It's cheesy, but it's within your budget!

Lowest production cost would be to do the whole thing in Flash. You don't really even need particularly skilled artists. If you can draw a stick figure, you can use Flash Animator. Get a few people to do the voices and you're set.

Asimov did some great short stories that were properly good sci-fi, but would work in the near future, with no special effects to speak of.

There was a great one about a child's talking robot, that told stories. But the stories were all quite samey, and eventually he got out of date and the kids abused him. It ends with the toy telling a sad story about a toy robot that wanted to entertain, but was beaten by his oppressive owners.

Can't remember what it's called.