Phoenix is quickly becoming a paradise for fans of independent and cult cinema, mostly due to the hard work put in by a couple of dedicated business owners that opened up unique theaters in the city. One of those new theaters is The Royale out in Mesa. If you haven’t gotten a chance to check it out yet, I’d recommend getting out there in the next few days to check out Secuestrados (Kidnapped), while they’re still screening it. The Spanish film has been receiving a lot of critical praise, along with comparisons to Funny Games, including the great honor of winning Best Horror Film at Fantastic Fest. The final screenings for the film are taking place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7pm, and Thursday at 9pm. You can grab tickets in advance.

If you haven’t gotten a chance to the check out The Royale in Downtown Mesa yet, Wednesday night is providing a great opportunity for you to jump at. The Valley’s newest independent movie theater will be launching it’s new monthly horror film screening event, called Reel Horror, on this fine August evening. The night is going to be happening on the second Wednesday of every month and features film programming by Victor Moreno and Justin Edwards. These gents decided to keep the film that’s being screened a secret in order to amplify the suspense. Check out the event trailer that they put together and then get your tickets for the low cost of $8. Support indie cinema in Phoenix!

Hedi Slimane has continuously been a huge inspiration to me. He’s the greatest male fashion designer to ever live in my humble opinion and one hell of a photographer. Most of his photographic subjects are young Americans and the activities they partake in. He’s spent a lot of time recently traveling and shooting images of people at various musical festivals, including some wonderful sets at last year’s edition of Coachella. Being the expert he is in the field of American counter culture, putting together this limited-edition film collection is a total no-brainer. The box set is limited to 2500 copies and is available now through colette. Check out the trailers for a few of the films on the collection.

Art is capable of transcending language as well as time and place. Photography is the art form that seems most capable of letting us experience worlds and cultures that are different from our own, while continuing to show us that they may not be that different after all. Yusuf Sevincli is a photographer that was born in Zonguldak, Turkey in 1980 and currently lives and works in Istanbul. Yusuf provides us with a beautiful and intimate look into the life and times of everyday citizens of Turkey. Working often in B&W, without ignoring the benefits of color film, we’re presented with a stunning body of work. You can view a diverse portfolio on the newly updated Tiny Vices.

Until The Light Takes Us is a story of a fascinating and violent time in recent music history. Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell spent several years living in close proximity to the musicians involved with the Norwegian black metal scene and gaining a high level of trust with them. This allowed the pair to get an intimate look into a group of musicians that took their beliefs far beyond the music they played and left a county in panic after committing a spree of crimes. If you were a fan of the book Lords Of Chaos, this is basically the film you’ve been dreaming of seeing. The film has opened at film festivals to rave reviews and is seeing a wider release on December 4th. The soundtrack features music by bands such as Black Dice, Boards Of Canada, Mayhem, and Thorns.

Local filmmaker Dave Surber shot a video at the recent AZ Desert Hardcore Polo Invite. This video was taken during the championship game. To find out more about bike polo, and the Arizona bicycle scene in general, check out AZFixed.com.