Month: August 2023

Short Film Spotlight: Burning Soul

Made on a shoestring budget back in 2016 as a film school graduation project, the gorgeously shot 14-minute short Burning Soul marks debut Australian writer-director Cedric Desenfants as a filmmaker to watch. He is able to pack a visual punch and a ton of emotion into one short film despite limited means.

This deeply homoerotic film is set in 1727. A ship from the Dutch East India Company is wrecked on a hostile coastline. Pieter and Hendrick, played by Teo Falck and Rasmus Hansen, are two of the shipwrecked men, friends who behave more like brothers. They grew up together, sailed together and have – so far – survived together.

When Hendrick discovers the true nature of Peiter’s heart, the men are taken into a storm where their friendship and faith soon collapse.

Desenfant has stated that his work as a filmmaker lives in a balance between an unconditional love for classical arts, history and a commitment to diversity in storytelling. All of that – and more – is on display in Burning Soul.

Watch the trailer for Burning Soul below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A new season of ‘After Forever’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Co-created by Emmy-nominated TV writer and playwright Michael Slade and actor-writer Kevin Spirtas, the moving drama series After Forever follows Brian and Jason, a 50-something gay couple living in New York City who appear to have it all… until they don’t.

When Jason dies unexpectedly, Brian must face the grieving process. Suddenly, he’s forced to think about his own future – and ultimately his own mortality – without the love of his life.

Season Two picks up six months after the end of Season One. Brian has a new relationship and a new job, but Jason is still very present in his life. These eight new episodes continue his and his friends’ journey of love, loss and moving on.

Winner of six Emmy Awards, After Forever is a funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming and ultimately empowering series that will resonate with audiences of all ages and sexual identities as it explores relationships, healing and new beginnings.

Watch the original trailer for After Forever below. Both seasons are available now on Dekkoo.

‘Drag Race’ alum Maxi Shield stars in the wild crime comedy “The Winner Takes It All”

Featuring Sydney drag icon and “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Down Under” alum Maxi Shield, The Winner Takes It All is a farcical queer comedy that pays loving homage to the early works of John Waters.

Jessica Marchi stars in the film as Kiki, a wealthy socialite who confides in her best friend Maxine that her husband is cheating on her. In danger of losing her rather large fortune, Kiki elicits Maxi’s help to uncover the truth about her husband’s adultery.

The pair soon learn, however, that not all is as it seems. Throw in a gigolo, a porn star and non-stop lashings of camp and you are in for one of the funniest and most joyously, knowingly and proudly stupid rides of your life.

From first-time director James Demitri, this transgressive new comedy has all the makings of a campy LGBTQ+ classic.

Watch the trailer for The Winner Takes It All below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Adjustment

From director Mehrdad Hasani and screenwriter Farzad Ahmadi, this challenging new 16-minute drama tells a story about one child’s bravery in the face of major adversity.

Adjustment follows Shahrokh, a 9-year-old boy who isn’t afraid to play around with his gender expression, despite constant bullying from other kids and aggressive pressure from within his own deeply religious family.

Though he’s been humiliated, pushed aside and victimized, Shahrokh stands firm in his identity. He decides to come out to the people of his village. Having been through a variety or ordeals, Shahrokh shows up or school dressed in girl’s clothes.

While he has an uphill battle ahead, he finds an unlikely ally in his male teacher, learning that being yourself is always the right move – despite anyone else’s reaction.

Watch the trailer for Adjustment below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Dekkoo Presents: The Summertime Sizzle Collection

Summer may be in full swing, but we’re about to turn up the heat even more!

With a diverse selection of feature-length films from around the globe, The Summertime Sizzle Collection is practically guaranteed to make you break a sweat.

Grab your swim trunks and get ready to hit the beach with these seasonally-appropriate gems – featuring men juggling their attractions, falling in love or getting straight-up down and dirty in gorgeous locales under the hot summer sun.

Included are the films Dry Wind, 8 Years, Gameboys: The Movie, Hawaii, He Loves Me, Jess & James, Longhorns, Orpheus’ Song, Screwed and These Peculiar Days.

The Summertime Sizzle Collection is available now to all Dekkoo subscribers!

Now Available: Holding the Man

Based on the beloved and hugely successful memoir and stage play of the same name, Holding the Man tells the warm, funny and achingly sad story of the love affair between Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, who met when they were teenagers at Xavier College in Melbourne in the 1970s.

Tim (Ryan Corr) was an aspiring actor. John (Craig Stott) was captain of the football team. Their romance lasted 15 years and endured a good many trials. When John died of AIDS at 33, Tim was forbidden to speak at his lover’s funeral. He set out to write a memoir about their relationship that would show the depth of tenderness they shared.

Featuring moving performances by lead actors Corr and Stott, Holding the Man also includes some legendary Australian actors in supporting roles. Guy Pearce, Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Fox, Geoffrey Rush and “Succession” star Sarah Snook are all on hand to lend their talent to this powerful true story.

Deeply romantic, even in its tragic denouement, Holding the Man is keenly in touch with the lived experience of its characters, offering a loving tribute to those we lost during the AIDS crisis while celebrating a relationship that blossomed and endured in the face of prejudice and adversity.

Watch the trailer for Holding the Man below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Watch the trailer for ‘Ranchlands,’ the newest gay romance from director David Lewis

David Lewis – a director who made a big mark on the LGBTQ film scene in the early 2000s with his films Under One Roof, Rock Haven, Redwoods, and Longhorns – is back with the brand new feature-length romance Ranchlands.

Ranchlands is a queer drama about an urbane, yet lost young gay man who was thrown out of his family house after coming out. Returning home to his estranged Christian family to care for his ailing brother, he finds an unexpected romance with a gay ranch hand. Unfortunately, when a family secret is exposed, it begins to complicate his new love affair and his journey of healing.

Watch the trailer for Ranchlands below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Two U.S. soldiers fall in love in the new romantic war drama ‘Love in Country’

Set in 1968, Love in Country is a romantic war drama starring Michael Southworth and David Garber as Johnny and Ian, two gay U.S. Army point men who have fallen in love during the Vietnam War.

Their relationship becomes an open secret, inspiring various levels of acceptance, conflict and rejection within their squad. When their Captain (played by Vincent van Hinte) seemingly loses his humanity and begins risking the safety of everyone around him, the pair are tasked with leading their fellow soldiers through a dangerous mission. Soon, they’re fighting not just for their country, but to keep their love alive.

From directors Kurt Braun and Richard Gayton, Love in Country is an ambitious indie film accomplishes a lot on a small budget while aiming to honor LGBTQ+ veterans – and all Americans – who have served in the military.

Watch the trailer for Love in Country below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.