Sand Castle Photos: Soldiers Try To Win Over Iraqis In Netflix Drama

Netflix has a full slate this year with new seasons of shows like “House of Cards,” “Sense8,” “Stranger Things” along with original films like Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja,” Charlie McDowell’s “The Dicovery” and the new war drama “Sand Castle” from Brazilian director Fernando Coimbra.

Set in Iraq in 2003, the film follows a group of American soldiers in the early days of the Iraq war as they’re sent to the outskirts of Baqubah to repair a water pumping station damaged by U.S. bombs. Soon, the situation becomes a powder keg as some villagers welcome the effort while others are suspicious, forcing the soldiers to attempt to keep the tensions from escalating into full-scale combat. The film stars Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), Henry Cavill (“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”), Glen Powell (“Everybody Wants Some!!”), Logan Marshall-Green (“Prometheus”), Neil Brown Jr. (“Straight Outta Compton”), and Beau Knapp (“The Nice Guys”). See some exclusive first-look images below.

Coimbra got his start writing and directing short films that went on to win numerous awards on the worldwide festival circuit. His debut feature film “A Wolf at the Door,” starring Leandra Leal and Milhem Cortaz, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It later won the Horzions Award at San Sebastian, Best Picture at the Brazilian Cinema Grand Prize and was nominated for Best First-Time Feature Film at the 2015 DGA Awards. He recently directed two episodes of the Netflix drama “Narcos.”

“Sand Castle” will be released sometime in 2017.