Meet Naz & Maalik, Now Available on Dekkoo

In this riveting dramatic tale, gay teens Naz and Maalik are friends, classmates, business partners and lovers. As the two closeted Muslim teens go about their regular daily routine on a Friday afternoon in Brooklyn they arouse the suspicions of an undercover FBI agent who begins to track them.

This complex tale of race, religion and sexuality features a pair of tremendous performances from lead actors Kerwin Johnson Jr. and Curtiss Cook Jr. Intimate and meditative, Naz & Maalik examines the mysterious forces that animate teenage minds.

An exceptionally well-crafted drama, and an auspicious feature debut from writer-director Jay Dockendorf, Naz & Maalik is now available on Dekkoo. Check out the trailer below.

New Gay Series: How It All Began

Dennis (Dennis Nollette), a late-middle-aged gay man, wakes up to discover Zach (Zach DuFault); an attractive, much younger man, in his bed. Is Zach just a one-night stand… or is it more than that? Sexy, subversive and sweet, this 10-episode series explains How It All Began.

How It All Began is streaming now on Dekkoo. Check out the series trailer, along with an exclusive image gallery, below!

 

The beloved gay romance Free Fall comes to Dekkoo

Max Riemelt, the super sexy star of the hit series Sense8, and hottie Hanno Koffler (Summer Storm, Coming In) co-star as gay lovers in this wildly popular romantic drama. Free Fall has been called the German Brokeback Mountain for its portrayal of forbidden love between two police cadets – as Marc (Koffler) and Kay (Riemelt) embark on an unexpected life-changing affair.

With a promising law enforcement career and a child on the way, Marc’s life is all going according to plan until he meets the free spirited Kay. They start jogging together, bringing a breath of fresh air into Marc’s life – and, for the first time, he develops feelings for a man. Torn between the life he knows so well and the exhilaration of this new adventure, his life rapidly spins out of control. In this state of free fall, it seems Marc cannot make anyone happy anymore. Least of all himself.

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

 

New Release: The Secret Path

The year is 1810. Frank and Theo (Darren Bransford and Henry Regan) are in love and on the run from the British Navy. There is a war on and they have escaped their home on The Rose, the ship where they met, to live the rest of their lives together.

The pair decide to hide out on the grounds of a large abandoned house in the English countryside, but soon find that their new hiding place may be even more dangerous than life in the Navy. Theo keeps seeing a dark and sinister figure watching them from a distance… and haunting his dreams. Only their love can save them.

Part historical gay romance, party ghost story, nothing is quite as it seems in The Secret Path, a strange, atmospheric mystery from prolific low-budget writer-director Richard Mansfield.

Check out the trailer for The Secret Path below. The full film is now available on Dekkoo.

Front Cover is a Romantic Gem

A tender, funny look at clashing cultures and love, Front Cover is an absolute delight for the urban fashionista in us all.

The film follows a handsome, openly gay New York City fashion stylist named Ryan (played by Jake Choi), who rejects his traditional Asian upbringing. When Ryan is given an assignment to style Ning (James Chen), a famous Chinese actor, for an important photo shoot, his attitudes begin to change. After a rocky start, an unlikely friendship develops between them, leading Ryan to re-examine his roots and consider an enticing new path for his life and career.

A bittersweet dramatic comedy, which looks at the Asian American experience with humor, irony and insight, Front Cover is a romantic gem. Enjoy the trailer below and catch the full film now on Dekkoo!

 

 

Make Room for Daddy

Colin McCormack (BearCity star Gerald McCullouch) thinks he has it all – a great job, a steady stream of hot younger guys, and a best friend (Dan Via) whose devotion he takes for granted. But when a charming and mercurial intern (Jaime Cepero) sweeps him off his feet, Colin sees a chance for something more: A family of his own. What he discovers instead is a shattering secret that may cost Colin everything – and everyone – he holds dear.

By turns funny, heartbreaking and hopeful, Daddy explores the universal need for love and connection, and the evolving understanding of “family” in today’s rapidly changing world.

Following a buzz-heavy world premiere in New York and an extended run in Los Angeles, the critical smash play by actor Dan Via became this big screen adaptation, directed by star Gerald McCullouch and co-starring the original creator himself.

Daddy is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Trophy Boy

The 13-minute short Trophy Boy, now available on Dekkoo, is your classic “riches-to-rags” story. It depicts the downward spiral of James (wrtier/director/star Emrhys Cooper),  a spoiled, “influencer” and narcissist, who, based on his social media accounts, appears to have it all.

Writer, director and star Emrhys Cooper in Trophy Boy - a short film now available on Dekkoo

Unfortunately for James, just before his 30th birthday, his much older boyfriend (on whom he was financially dependent) breaks up with him. James now must face reality with no work experience and no idea where to start.

Writer, director and star Emrhys Cooper in Trophy Boy - a short film now available on Dekkoo

With his sex-addicted best buddy by his side, James takes a crash course in living and sets out to prove that he doesn’t need anyone to take care of him. He ultimately ends up alienating himself further from reality and comes face-to-face with the bitter fact that if he doesn’t learn to live as an adult in the real world, he’ll never be more than a washed-up, unwanted accessory.

Writer, director and star Emrhys Cooper in Trophy Boy - a short film now available on Dekkoo

Cooper displays his chops both in front of and behind the camera with this hard-hitting showcase. Talking about the film, he said his aim was to “highlight that achieving one’s dreams, being responsible for your own actions, and being honest with yourself and others are ultimately what will make you happy.”

Poster for Trophy Boy, a short film by Emrhys Cooper

Watch the trailer for Trophy Boy below and check out the full short film on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Happy Endings

In Happy Endings, a riveting ensemble comedy originally released in 2005, writer-director Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex, “Web Therapy”) opens and heals romantic and familial wounds with grace, intelligence and wit.

Jesse Bradford and Lisa Kudrow in Happy Endings

Abortion clinic counselor Mamie (Lisa Kudrow) is having an affair with a studly masseur Javier (Bobby Cannavale). As a youth she had sex with her stepbrother, Charley (Steve Coogan), became pregnant, and secretly put the baby up for adoption. Years later, an obnoxious aspiring filmmaker, Nicky (Jesse Bradford), shows up claiming to know her son’s whereabouts. This information doesn’t come without a catch: Mamie has to let Nicky make a documentary about their reunion.

Lisa Kudrow and Bobby Cannavale in Happy Endings

Charley, now openly gay, and his boyfriend, Gil (David Sutcliffe), have another baby-related mystery to solve: did their lesbian best friends (Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke) secretly use Gil’s sperm to conceive an infant? Meanwhile, a young singer, Jude (Maggie Gylenhaal), takes up with a rich closeted teenager, Otis (Jason Ritter), and his father (Tom Arnold). Otis, by the way, secretly has the hots for his employer: Charley!

Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke in Happy Endings

These havoc-filled plot-lines and characters ingeniously weave together in this outrageous star-studded comedy, which returns to the scathing and smart territory Roos mined in The Opposite of Sex, his breakthrough feature from 1998. A movie that rewards multiple viewings, Happy Endings leaves you with a smile. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Original Theatrical Poster for Happy Endings by Don Roos, Now Available on Dekkoo

 

Don’t miss the acclaimed doc Red Without Blue

An award-winning documentary originally released in 2007, Red Without Blue is a groundbreaking artistic examination of gender, identity, and the unswerving bond of twinship, despite transformation.

An honest portrayal of a family in turmoil, the film follows a pair of identical twins as one transitions from male to female. Captured over a period of three years, directors Brooke Sebold, Benita Sills and Todd Sills document the twins and their parents, examining the Farley family’s struggle to redefine themselves as a unit.

The twins’ early lives were quintessentially all-American: picture-perfect holidays, supportive parents who cheered them on every step of the way. By the time they were 14, their parents had divorced, they had both come out as gay, and a joint suicide attempt precipitated a forced separation of Mark and Alex for two and half years.

Through extensive, deeply candid interviews with the twins and their family, Red Without Blue recounts these troubled times, interweaving the twins’ difficult past with their efforts to find themselves in the present.

The film follows the painful steps of Clair’s transition, including electrolysis and the difficult decision to proceed with bottom surgery. Through its portrayal of these articulate and independent twins, each haunted by the painful experiences of their adolescence, the film questions normative standards of gender and identity – as Mark and Clair reassert their indescribable bond as identical twins. Through the power of the their voices, we hear the story of a family’s redemption from a dark past, and ultimately, its revival to the present.

Check out the trailer for Red Without Blue below and watch the full film on Dekkoo.

 

Real Boy tells the story of a son’s transition and a mom’s transformation

Real Boy is an intimate story of a family in transition. As 19-year-old Bennett Wallace navigates early sobriety, late adolescence, and the evolution of his gender identity, his mother makes her own transformation from resistance to acceptance of her trans son. Along the way, both mother and son find support in their communities, reminding us that families are not only given, but chosen.

Director/producer Shaleece Haas balances the poignancy and humor in this terrific new documentary, using intimate character-driven storytelling that invites the audience deep into the interior world of the protagonists.

Screened more than 180 times in 23 different countries, earning a total of 20 awards, Real Boy was broadcast in the United States on PBS’ Independent Lens and now it’s available for all to enjoy on Dekkoo!