Month: December 2022

Short Film Spotlight: Stockholm

Stockholm is a powerful and stylishly-crafted new short film from British writer-director Tom Wright.

Alex Britt stars as Alex, a young gay man who, during what initially seems to be an unusual first date, attempts to gain control over a traumatic event from his past. Things, however, are not as simple as they initially appear.

Wright uses deliberately disorienting cinematography and quick editing to jump around in time. And while the exact nature of Alex’s trauma is kept mysterious, what we do know is that he met another young guy who ended up hurting him.

Taking us through a montage which shows the consequences of the incident, we see Alex spiral into a chasm of self-destructive behavior before finally taking the first steps toward dealing with his emotions in a healthier way.

Stockholm shows us, in an intelligent and even elegant way, the deep effects of sexual assault and examines how the circumstances of recovery are never just black and white.

Watch a short trailer for Stockholm below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Santa & Andrés

Set in Cuba during the 1980s, Santa & Andrés follows two outsiders who form an unexpected bond.

Eduardo Martinez stars as Andrés, a provocative openly gay novelist who has been banned from writing another word by the Cuban government. With a political rally coming up, they intend to keep Andrés under close scrutiny in order to prevent him from communicating with the press. Enter Santa, played by Lola Amores. She is sent to Andrés’ countryside home to watch over him for the next three days.

Despite their mutual distrust and suspicion, the pair find themselves quietly questioning their allegiances and ultimately coming to understand one another.

In a case of “life imitating art, imitating life,” the film was banned in Cuba and pulled from the Havana Film Festival shortly before it was set to premiere, despite the fact that writer-director Carlos Lechuga had been selected as an award recipient.

Though it’s set nearly 40 years ago, Santa & Andres delivers a thoughtful and still completely relevant rumination on the notions of political censorship, hatred and intolerance.

Watch the trailer for Santa & Andres below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.