Indie Summer

It is once again a summer of sequels, remakes, reboots, explosions and superheroes at the cinema, and as always it’s all fun in moderation. Whilst we all know that generally speaking pizza is always better with more pizza, blockbuster cinema is always best when supplemented by a healthy intake of indie films.

So for every Terminator: Genisys, Ant-Man, Fantastic Four or Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation you see, try one of these indie movies coming your way this summer:

‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’

Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (American Horror Story)

Starring: Thomas Mann (Project X), RJ Cyler (Second Chances), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)

Synopsis (via IMDB):

High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.

Release date: 12th June (US), 4th September (UK)

Trailer:

‘Zarafa’

Directed by: Rémi Bezançon (A Happy Event), Jean-Christophe Lie (Tarzan)

Starring: Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale)

Synopsis (via Rotten Tomatoes):

Under a baobab tree, an old man tells a story to the children around him: The story of the everlasting friendship between Maki, a little boy aged 10, and Zarafa, an orphaned giraffe, a gift from the Pasha of Egypt to the King of France, Charles X.

Release date: July 3rd (US)

Trailer:

‘Safelight’

Directed by: Tony Aloupis

Starring: Evan Peters (American Horror Story), Juno Temple (Maleficent)

Synopsis (via IMDB):

A teenage boy and girl discover a renewed sense of possibility as they go on a road trip to photograph lighthouses along the California coast.

Release date: July 17th (US)

Trailer:

‘The End of the Tour’

Directed by: James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now)

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Jason Segel (The Muppets), Anna Chlumsky (Veep)

Synopsis (via IMDB):

The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking epic novel, ‘Infinite Jest.’

Release date: 31st July (US)

Trailer:

‘People Places Things’

Directed by: James C. Strouse (The Winning Season)

Starring: Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), Regina Hall (Scary Movie)

Synopsis (via IMDB):

Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing parenting his young twin daughters and a classroom full of students while exploring and navigating the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him.

Release date: August 14th (US)

Trailer: