MUBI unveils vibrant August slate

The cinematic streaming platform MUBI has curated another 30 days of special films and collections of renowned directors and fresh faces from across the globe.

This month’s highlights include auteur Jean Renoir’s most celebrated works as well as some lesser-known titles to discover, along with three of Alfred Hitchcock’s earliest films before he become the master of suspense. Renoir’s Picnic on the Grass is a story of science versus nature, with beautiful cinematography by Georges Leclerc. Meanwhile, Hitchcock’s film Champagne, the silent comedy about an heiress defying her father, is a fascinating window into his early development as a filmmaker.

August’s Special Discovery film is Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces by Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah. Celebrated at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, this vibrant drama follows a family of caterers as they prepare for a wedding.

One of the more prominent collections is the work of Peter Nestler, believed by some to be the greatest postwar German auteur. His provocative documentary shorts focus on the poetry of labor in the 1960s, including the very personal Death and Devil.

Argentina takes the limelight as August’s emerging cinema of the month. Celebrating the new, youthful movement coming out of South America are films by acclaimed directors like Matías Piñeiro (The Princess of France) and some exciting new voices. One such talent is that of Mariano Llinás, whose four-hour film Extraordinary Stories is a unique story told by three unconnected voiceovers, eventually steering the narrative into strange and fascinating realms.

South Africa is also highlighted, with the work of director Pia Marais. Her thriller Layla Fourie traces the story of a single mother working as polygraph operator for a security company in a country divided by racial tensions.