In August 2026, we invite you to our air-conditioned auditoriums and a breezy lounge for another rich and varied programme of films, live events, and special screenings. From the most talked-about films to intimate documentaries, and our beloved community events in the lounge, there’s something for everyone. Full programme and booking details are always available at ActOneCinema.co.uk
Showing in August:
Week 1 – 6 August
- THE SACRIFICE: Tarkovsky’s final film follows a man who makes a desperate pact with God, at the cost of everything he loves.
- ISH: Two twelve-year-old best friends navigate the fallout of a police stop-and-search in this striking black-and-white Luton-based debut.
- ON THE SEA: A married mussel farmer in North Wales finds his steady life upended by an unexpected pull toward a younger drifter.
- THE INVITE: A dinner party between two couples spirals into an evening of long-buried grievances and unexpected propositions.
- THE ODYSSEY: Christopher Nolan sends Odysseus on an IMAX-scale voyage home from Troy, battling gods, monsters and his own legend along the way.
- MINIONS & MONSTERS: The Minions stumble from Old Hollywood stardom into monster-movie mayhem of their own making.
- TOY STORY 5: Woody, Buzz and Jessie face their toughest rival yet: a tablet named Lilypad that’s stealing their kid’s attention one swipe at a time.
- MISAN HARRIMAN: SHOOT THE PEOPLE: A documentary following photographer-activist Misan Harriman as he captures the global protest movements shaping social change, from BLM to Palestinian liberation.
- GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell dazzle as two showgirls chasing love and diamonds on a transatlantic voyage, in this classic Technicolour musical comedy.
- MOLLY + live director Q&A: A chance encounter at a launderette sparks a meaningful connection between Vinnie and Ryan. As closeness blurs into desire, they are forced to confront what love demands before it fractures everything they have built. Post-screening live Q&A with cinematographer and director Darius Shu.
- DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA: Spike Lee’s electrifying concert film captures David Byrne’s Broadway show, a joyous, barefoot meditation on connection and community.
Week 7 – 13 August
- BOUCHRA: A queer Moroccan animator-filmmaker, reimagined as a coyote in New York, reconnects with her mother in Casablanca through raw, unresolved phone calls in this genre-bending animated debut.
- MOANA: Disney’s animated adventure gets the live-action treatment as a bold Polynesian wayfinder sets sail across the ocean to save her island.
- THE SUMMER BOOK: A grieving father and daughter spend a healing summer on a remote Finnish island with her formidable grandmother, in this tender adaptation of Tove Jansson’s beloved novel.
- LABYRINTH (40th Anniversary): A teenage girl must navigate Jareth the Goblin King’s magical maze to rescue her baby brother, in Jim Henson’s puppet-filled 80s fantasy classic.
- ALICE: When agit-prop puppetry meets Lewis Carroll, the result is Jan Švankmajer’s dark film inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Strange, bewildering, haunting and beautiful, you’ve never seen anything quite like it.
- LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (director’s cut) + live intro: Seymour, a shy young man working for a tyrannical florist, finds a vehicle for private and public success in the form of a man-eating plant from outer space. Introduced in person by Independent Cinema Office programmer and this season’s curator, Heather Bradshaw.
Week 14 – 20 August
- AARDMAN: 50 YEARS OF CLAY: Beloved features and shorts from the Bristol-based stop-motion animation studio come to ActOne to celebrate 50 years of clay. Featured titles: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out + The Wrong Trousers, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave + A Matter of Loaf and Death, and Early Man.
- TONY: A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.
- SUNNY DANCER: A coming-of-age comedy following a group of teens navigating friendship, identity and first love against a backdrop of youthful chaos.
- THE END OF OAK STREET: A suburban family’s street is mysteriously ripped from reality and dropped into a land of prehistoric predators, in this survival thriller starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.
Week 21 – 27 August
- HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE (10th Anniversary): A rebellious foster kid and his reluctant guardian go on the run through the New Zealand bush in Taika Waititi’s beloved comedy-adventure.
- & SONS: A reclusive, dying novelist summons his estranged sons and reveals a shocking secret in this dark family drama starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton.
- TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA: A young director reviving a slasher franchise becomes obsessed with its reclusive original star, spiralling into a queer, blood-soaked psychosexual mystery.
Later coming titles: Holy Days, Kiki’s Delivery Service (4K restoration), The Dog Stars, Bitter Christmas, The Death of Robin Hood, Coyote vs. Acme, and more.
Special Events: Top Picks
Aardman: 50 Years of Clay – a curated selection of the legendary animation studio’s films and shorts.
No Strings on Me: Cinema’s Living Puppets – a specially created programme celebrating the craft of practical puppetry and the iconic, handmade characters of pre-CGI cinema.
Muppet Treasure Island (30th Anniversary) events
- Friday 14th, 11.00 am – Family-friendly sing-along and pirate hat-making workshop
- Friday 14th, 8.00 pm – Drink-and-sing-along for grown-ups (18+ event)
Live Concert: Jago & Anna
Friday 14th, 7.00 pm – ActOne Lounge event
Footprints: Searching for Satyrus
Sunday 23rd, 5.30 pm – follows a photographer in pursuit of Satyrus effendi, a rare and critically endangered butterfly named in honour of her father. Sliding-scale pay-what-you-can tickets.
Venue: All events take place at ActOne Cinema, 119–121 High Street, Acton W3 6NA. Easily reached by public transport, in an accessible building.
Tickets & More Info: Book online at ActOneCinema.co.uk or at the box office within our cosy daily café bar, open 10.00 am–10.00 pm.
