By Ramona Flume

The sweltering dog days of summer are still lingering, with temperatures tipping into triple digits, but the Sundance Institute–supported films scheduled for theatrical and streaming releases this month are far from lackadaisical. Our lengthy August lineup leans hard into fascinating, heavy-hitting subject matter, both fiction and nonfiction, with a few gleeful detours into chaos — giving us plenty of reasons to beat the heat at the cinema or in the air-conditioned comfort of our own homes. 

On the documentary side, we’ve got an unflinching look at American doctors providing emergency care in Gaza, a years-in-the-making chronicle of restoring a colonial-era library in Nairobi, and a nail-biting account of a real-life rescue in the mountains of Pakistan. Rounding out the nonfiction slate is an in-depth look at Girl Scout Cookie season and the young sellers who keep the boxes moving. 

And on the narrative front, quieter dramas about addiction recovery in Ohio, a class-conscious slow-burn set on a Manila golf course, and a marriage unraveling as war erupts next door share space with louder, weirder fare: a beloved kids’ show mascot turned menace, and a bawdy road trip comedy about delivering a rehab-bound teen against all odds. It also seems to be the summer of Gregg Araki as we’re excited to see his 2005 Festival cult classic Mysterious Skin return to theaters in a stunning 4K restoration.