August will be an interesting month on Mubi, with several new releases of the year and additions to a new one that celebrates one of the great voices of American independent cinema. 

And let’s not forget the archive movies that will also be arriving on the platform. 

Let’s start with the new releases, before unveiling the new collection…

The year’s releases

Omen (Baloji) – 2023 | Streaming from August 1

After years in Belgium, a young Congolese man comes back to his hometown Kinshasa to face the complexities of his family and his culture. 

Omen is the feature debut by hip-hop artist-turned-filmmaker Baloji. It premiered at Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard: New Voice Prize in 2023.

The Hypnosis (Ernst De Geer) – 2023 | Streaming from August 16 

Vera and André, an entrepreneurial couple working on launching their women’s reproductive health mobile app, get the chance to pitch their business at a prestigious competition. But right before the contest, Vera tries hypnotherapy to quit smoking with an unexpected side effect: she starts to lose all social inhibitions. 

Marking the directorial debut of Swedish filmmaker Ernst De Geer and starring Herbert Nordrum (The Worst Person In The World), The Hypnosis is an unapologetic and refreshing comedy of manners about female liberation.

Crossing (Levan Akin) – 2024 | Streaming from August 30 

Lia, a retired teacher from Georgia, learns from her young neighbor, Achi, that her long-lost transgender niece, Tekla, has crossed the border into Turkey. In search of Tekla, Lia travels to Istanbul with the unpredictable Achi, where they explore the hidden depths of the city. 

Humanistic and tender, Akin’s third feature is a heartfelt portrayal of overcoming the degrees of separation that divide us. Crossing opened the Panorama section at the 2024 Berlinale for its World Premiere in February, where it was awarded the Teddy Prize Jury Award and received its UK Premiere at the BFI Flare Film Festival in March 2024.

The classics coming

Tahara (Olivia Peace) – 2020 | Streaming from August 1

At the funeral for a Hebrew school classmate who took her own life, two best friends find themselves distracted by the teenage complications of lust, social status, and wavering faith. 

Tahara premiered at Slamdance Film Festival in 2020 and stars Madeline Grey DeFreece and Shiva Baby star, Rachel Sennott.

The War of the Worlds: Next Century (Piotr Szulkin) – 1981 | Streaming from August 16

A 1981 Polish film inspired by the classical novel of H. G. Wells, “The War of the Worlds”. The action begins on December 18, 1999, just a few days before the dawn of the new century when a local reporter announces that the Martians have landed. Directed by Polish filmmaker, screenwriter, Piotr Szulkin was a renowned academic, celebrated for his unique contributions to science fiction cinema. He gained prominence with his dystopian and surrealist films that often explored themes of authoritarianism, human nature, and societal collapse. 

His other notable works Golem (1971), O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1984) and Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (1985) will also stream on MUBI starting August 16.

Collection – American Outsider: the films of Kelly Reichardt

This August, MUBI is celebrating one of the most distinctive voices in American independent filmmaking with AMERICAN OUTSIDER: THE FILMS OF KELLY REICHARDT. Reichardt’s films sidestep histrionics and opt instead for quiet ruminations, small gestures of resistance, and a stirring stillness that is strikingly potent in its emotional sensitivity. Two films new to the collection feature Michelle Williams, a regular member of Reichardt’s artistic troupe, with searing, career-defining performances that articulate hope and loss all at once.

Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt) – 2008 | Streaming from August 1 

Wendy is driving with her dog Lucy to Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the fish cannery. When her car breaks down in Oregon, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she faces a series of increasingly dire challenges. 

Wendy and Lucy premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2008 where it won the Palm Dog award. 

Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt) – 2010 | Streaming from August 1

The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon team of three families has hired the mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a shortcut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert. 

Meek’s Cutoff won the SIGNIS Award at Venice Film Festival in 2010.