The Hottest August

The Hottest August
Official poster
Directed byBrett Story
Written byBrett Story
Produced by
  • Brett Story
  • Danielle Varga
Narrated byClare Coulter
CinematographyDerek Howard
Edited byNels Bangerter
Music byTroy Herion
Production
companies
  • Oh Ratface Films
  • Walking Productions
Release date
  • November 15, 2019 (2019-11-15)
Running time
94 minutes
Countries
  • Canada
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$9,163[1]

The Hottest August is a 2019 Canadian-American documentary film directed by Brett Story.[2] The film is composed of encounters between Story and strangers in New York City in August 2017, then predicted to be the hottest month of August on record in the Northern Hemisphere.[3] While the words "climate change" are never spoken in the film, the context of global warming frames the confidences shared by the strangers as they are asked about their worries and hopes about the future.[3] The film's official tagline describes it as "a film about climate change, disguised as a portrait of collective anxiety".[3]

The Hottest August premiered at the True/False Film Festival on February 28, 2019, and was subsequently theatrically released on November 15 of the same year.[4][5] It received critical acclaim.[6]

  1. ^ "The Hottest August". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  2. ^ Battle, Christina (19 December 2019). "The Hottest August". Canadian Art. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Wilkinson, Alissa (15 November 2019). "The year's best documentary turns climate change into a sci-fi film". Vox. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ O'Falt, Chris (6 February 2019). "True/False Film Fest Announces 2019 Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  5. ^ "The Hottest August (2019) - Release info". IMDb. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Independent Lens Spring/Summer Slate Includes 'Bedlam,' 'The Hottest August' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2024.