August has got under way and the movie summer keeps on flying by. Not surprisingly, there are a whole host of great indie films on the horizon this month.
Julieta
We take a look at some of the films that you cannot afford to miss over the coming weeks - and there's going to be an eclectic range of movies for you to enjoy.
- The Idol - released 12th August
Hany Abu-Assad is set to return to the director's chair with his latest feature film The Idol.
Abu-Assad has brought us films such as Paradise Not and The Courier during his career and The Idol is his first film since Omar back in 2013. As well as being in the director's chair, Abu-Assad has also teamed up with Sameh Zoabi to pen the film's screenplay.
Mohammed Assaf, an aspiring musician living in Gaza, sets a seemingly impossible goal: to compete on the program, Arab Idol.
Tawfeek Barhom takes on the central role of Mohammed, in what is one of the biggest film roles of his acting career to date. He is joined on the cast list by Kais Attalah, Hiba Attalah, Ahmad Qasem, and Abdel Kareem Barakeh.
The Idol played at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and has gone on to be met well by the critics.
The Idol is a beautiful looking film and is driven forward by a wonderful central performance from Barhom. From start to finish, Barhom is engaging and enchanting in this coming of age tale.
The movie is set to a backdrop of difficulty and struggle and yet, the director has managed to craft a story that is filled with hope and aspiration. The Idol is an inspirational and emotional watch.
- The Childhood Of A Leader - released 19th August
We see a whole host of directors make their feature debut every year and Brady's Corbet's first film is one of the most talked about debuts of the summer.
Corbet is in the director's chair for The Childhood Of A Leader, which is based on the short story of the same name by Jean-Paul Sartre. Corbet has teamed up with Mona Fastvold to adapt the short story into a movie screenplay.
The Childhood Of A Leader has played on the festival circuit since last year; winning Best Debut film and Best Director at the Venice International Film Festival. It is a movie that has also been winning over critics and audiences.
The director has brought together a terrific cast as Bérénice Bejo, Liam Cunningham, Stacy Martin, and Robert Pattinson are all on board.
An American family settles into the French countryside at the end of the First World War, where the father (Cunningham) is involved in the peace negotiations around the Treaty of Versailles. His wife (Bejo) is a devout Christian who struggles with the tantrums of their defiant young son, whose wilful outbursts begin to demonstrate a monster in the making.
Infused with the same sense of dread as The Others and The Omen, The Childhood of a Leader is an ominous portrait of emerging evil.
Cobet has created a movie that is dark, creepy, and very atmospheric - there is a sense of dread that really does hang over the whole film and is incredibly unsettling. It is a terrific directorial debut and I am already excited to see what this writer/director does next.
- Tickled - released 19th August
If you love your documentary movies, then Tickled could be the one for you as it promises to be one of the most intriguing films in this genre in 2016.
Journalist David Farrier, who stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online, makes his feature film directorial debut as he teams up with Dylan Reeve. Reeve is also making his feature film debut, as he makes the leap from shorts for the first time.
After stumbling upon a bizarre competitive endurance tickling video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to request a story from the company. But the reply he receives is shocking the sender mocks Farrier's sexual orientation and threatens extreme legal action should he dig any deeper.
So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he does just the opposite: he travels to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles and uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films.
What starts out as a light-hearted film, turns into something much darker as Farrier and Reeve explore the dark side of bullying on the internet and how an online life can have a huge impact in the real world.
Tickled is a fascinating and rather disturbing documentary that takes a dark twist that you certainly were not expecting. It really is one of the best documentaries of 2016 so far.
- Kids In Love - released 26th August
Chris Foggin is another filmmaker who is making his feature film debut this summer. Foggin is no stranger to the director's chair with short film That Night and Friend Request Pending already under his belt.
Now he is at the helm of Kids in Love, which was written by actors Sebastian De Souza and Preston Thompson - it is the debut screenplay for both. As well as penning the screenplay, Thompson, and De Souza are set to star in the coming of age film.
Will Poulter, Alma Jodorowsky, Cara Delevingne, Gala Gordon, and Jamie Blackley complete an exciting young cast list.
Kids In Love follows a group of friends live their lives in London, imitating art and enjoying a fast-paced lifestyle.
The movie received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival earlier this year and will receive a limited release this summer.
There is a charm to Kids in Love and it is exciting to see new directing and writing talent emerging.
- Julieta - released 26th August
Pedro Almodóvar is back in the director's chair this summer with his new film Julieta. As well as being in the director's chair, Almodóvar has also penned the screenplay, which is based on a short story by Alice Munro.
Almodóvar has brought us movies such as Volver and Broken Embraces and this is his first feature since I'm So Excited back in 2013.
The movie sees Emma Suárez and Adriana Ugarte take on the older and young version of the title character and they are joined on the cast list by Daniel Grao, Inma Cuesta, and Michelle Jenner.
Julieta is a teacher of fifty-five. She writes a long letter to her daughter, Antía, trying to explain all the things she has kept secret from her over the last 30 years. When she has finished her confession, she doesn't know where to post the letter. Her daughter abandoned her when she was eighteen and Julieta hasn't heard from her in the past twelve years. She has searched everywhere, but now realises that Antía has become a total stranger to her.
Julieta is about destiny, guilt complex and the unfathomable mystery that leads some people to abandon those they love, erasing them as if they meant nothing. It is also about the pain that this brutal desertion provokes in the victim.
Julieta was part of the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it competed for the prestigious Palme d'Or - losing out to Ken Roach's I, Daniel Blake.
Almodóvar has brought us some terrific character dramas during his career... and Julieta is another. This is a film that explores the theme of guilt and how it can have a huge impact on a life.
Other indie films to watch out for this August, include The Wave, The Carer, Sweet Bean, The Confession: Living The War On Terror, and Almost Holy.