Carefree Elias works at a textile factory, juggling long shifts, dreams of the sea, and animated nights-out with no-strings sexual encounters. As he tries to discern where his future may lead him, he and his coworkers decide to go out for a bit of fun, ultimately leading to new encounters and unexpected desires. ‘Body Electric’ is now available on Dekkoo.
A gritty, 17-minute short from Switzerland, ‘Vandalen’ follows two young graffiti artists who are having a secret affair. While one thinks of their relationship as purely sexual, the other is falling in love. When a female acquaintance comes between them, jealousy forces their hidden desires out in the open. Watch ‘Vandalen’ now on Dekkoo!
‘NY84’ follows the adventures of three young artists in the downtown art scene in the early 1980’s. Young and carefree, the friends party, photograph, paint, sing, and play their way through the clubs and lofts of Alphabet City. The party ends in 1984 when Anton and Keith contract a mysterious illness. Stream the gay film ‘NY84’ now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: On the second anniversary of a needless tragedy, we present a film that commemorates the victims.
Nathan, 16, lives alone with his father Stephane. A newcomer in high school, he is invited to a party and falls in love with Louis, a boy in his class. They find themselves out of sight and kiss each other, but someone takes a picture of them. Soon, the photo is published on Facebook and a storm overtakes their lives as they face bullying and rejection. ‘Hidden Kisses’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo!
Two friends, just beginning to explore their sexual identities, reveal intimate details of their lives. Is it curiosity, braggadocio or flirtation? Stream the gay short ‘Summer’ now on Dekkoo!
Manchester’s famed queer hub Canal Street comes to life in this documentary series that focuses on the exploits of people who ‘live, work and play’ around the village. Binge watch ‘Queer Street’ now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: “…The film examines – with a joyous vibe – the exploring of one’s identity and sexuality through fashion and partying” – Vague Visages
Every day hundreds of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered elders are faced with the despairing truth of being isolated and discriminated against as they enter their twilight years. Some have completely denounced their sexuality in fear of being who they are, while others give up and sometimes even commit suicide after facing the fact that they must return into the closet.
Matthew Arnold-Ladensack’s award-winning short film, ‘The Apple Tree’ deals with this subject. The short centers around Gabe, an elderly wheelchair-bound veteran who is forced back into the closet after his life partner passes away and he moves into a homophobic assisted living home.
After his boyfriend Norberto breaks up with him and runs away to Iceland, heartbroken Bruno decides to set out to find him. He soon meets Arnau, a handsome local tour guide in Reykjavik, who is determined to help Bruno in his exceedingly idealistic search. Their trip will become a grieving process for them both, until they reach the remote island of Grimsey. There, Bruno will have to learn what love really means in order to move on with his life. ‘Grimsey’ is a available to stream exclusively on Dekkoo, months before its release on DVD!
Prora, on the Baltic Sea. Mysterious, endless. In this deserted former Nazi holiday camp and communist military complex, teenagers Jan and Matthieu embark on an adventure that puts their friendship at risk. Watch ‘Prora’ now on Dekkoo.com!
A look at the many roles played by eclectic 77-year-old actor/activist George Takei, whose wit, humor and grace have helped him to become an internationally beloved figure and Internet phenomenon with 7-million Facebook fans and counting. ‘To Be Takei’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week – A studied examination of how one man folds jarring events into the everyday fabric of his life.
In a brash decision, Cole secretly moves to San Francisco under the guise of his straight best friend’s engagement party. But when his friend, Daren, reveals his engagement was an accident, Cole uses the mysterious powers of a forgotten sketchbook to try to put both of their lives back on track, whatever the consequences. The new Dekkoo-original series ‘Paper Boys’ is available to binge watch now, only on Dekkoo!
On the way to his hometown of Red Lodge, Montana, for the holidays Jordan proposes to his boyfriend of two years, Dave. The engagement should only enhance their holiday cheer, but things take a turn when Dave suddenly changes his mind and says “no” to marriage. Watch ‘Red Lodge’ now on Dekkoo!
Bobby Schuessler over at OUT.com sat down with Curtis Casella, writer/producer/director of the new Dekkoo-original series ‘Paper Boys’ to discuss what Schuessler calls, “…the game-changing new series…”
‘Teenage Kicks’ is the gutsy coming of age feature film debut from director Craig Boreham that has earned him the accolade of being a compelling new voice in Australian queer cinema.
The film stars Miles Szanto as Mik, a young man with an explosive burgeoning sexuality as he navigates a minefield of adolescence and his growing attraction to his best friend Dan. Miles received the Best Actor Award for the role at the prestigious Iris Prize in Wales with the festival jury saying “Miles Szanto’s performance was amazing. The juxtaposition between physical strength and emotional vulnerability was mesmerizing.”
You’ve been acting since you were really young. Tell us a bit about your work up to now.
I’ve been doing this thing for a long time. I realized not long ago that my first professional acting gig was 18 years ago this year. I was incredibly timid and shy as a kid and started acting classes as a way to speak up a little. When I was pretending to be somebody else I had a confidence I never felt as myself. I was obsessed with the idea of storytelling and saw that as an actor I got to bring the story to life and be a vehicle for the message of that story. I recognized how powerful it was as a medium quite young.
‘Teenage Kicks’ is a very dark and sexy film. It’s a different direction from your previous work. What drew you to it?
Dark and sexy is a good summary of the film. I first encountered the film in it’s early incarnation as the short film version ‘Drowning’. I think I was 16 at the time, and up to that point I didn’t feel like the work I had been doing or the representations of adolescence on screen generally were really authentic. It mostly seemed to step past the agony and that fear that young people often experience. Every decision you make has this weight that feels like the effects will be permanent when you are figuring out who you are and who you want to be in the world. When I read ‘Drowning’ it felt honest and raw and spoke to a lot of the feelings I couldn’t quite articulate just yet. It felt like an important story to tell. There’s something magical about seeing a film and having that feeling of “me too” and that’s what excited me about ‘Drowning’ and ultimately ‘Teenage Kicks’. The opportunity of telling that story and giving voice to young people who had that feeling and maybe hadn’t felt represented before.
We see an awful lot of you in ‘Teenage Kicks’ and there’s some pretty racy sex scenes? What was it like shooting them?
Honestly, when it comes to the sexy stuff in this film it is treated the same as any other scene. What’s great about the moments of sexual intimacy (or lack there-of) in the film are they all serve a purpose to the narrative. I only really get uncomfortable with those kind of scenes if it feels like the only purpose is to titillate. So long as it’s connected to the story and arc it feels important and organic. Also important to mention that there are moments of full-frontal nudity in this film. Which I would have no problem with, if it wasn’t for the fact that we shot this film in the dead of winter. People don’t realize how cold Sydney get’s in the winter. I didn’t have the luxury of warmth to make sure every inch of me was picture ready… if you know what I mean…
‘Teenage Kicks’ is a pretty dark movie. Were there any lighter moments on set?
There were a few in retrospect. Although at the time because of the seriousness of the film we didn’t realize the hilarity of the moments… We shot a lot of scenes around this gorgeous pool at a mansion on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Which in theory is a fantastic location. But it had sat there unheated, chilled by the ocean breeze all winter. The pool was unimaginably cold. And considering I’d lost almost 20lbs for the role, I was chilled to the bone… We could only really be in the pool for thirty second intervals… Daniel Webber played my best friend and the object of my teen desire, Dan, and he and I would jump in, pulling happy faces trying to look all summery as our bodies were being frozen like ice blocks and then bolt to a warm shower until we had to jump in again. After about the third time of this sadistic torture method by Director Craig Boreham, we were on the floor of the shower, spooning in our underwear for body warmth, tears in our eyes, asking why we’d chosen this career path and if it was really worth it… Haha!
Two young men – one sighted, one blind – see the world and their bodies in different ways. Unexpectedly, they find a connection beyond the visual in the collision of taste, touch and sound. The connection is sensual, and within it they each find something new. Watch the gay short film ‘Neon Skin’ on Dekkoo!
Two young men spend the night together after meeting the previous evening in a notorious gay club. The next day, however, the host wakes to find the boy he picked up bewildered and confused, unable to remember his name or anything about his past. Lacking any type of identification or obvious clues, the boys begin to search for the truth among fragments of memories that may or may not prove reliable. Watch ‘Boy Undone’ weeks before it’s release on DVD only on Dekkoo!
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