Action – Discover great gay stories.

Short Film Spotlight: Floating

In expertly-made new short film Floating, a Russian astronaut awakens alone on board a space station module after an unfortunate crash. Space debris has left the module severely damaged and any communication with the outside world appears to be severed.

As the astronaut tries to reconnect to the base, strange noises turn his attention to the outside. There are knocks coming from outside the ship. They get closer and closer until a strange character emerges. He’s come to welcome the astronaut with a pie.

Puzzled, scared and believing everything to be a hallucination, the astronaut tries to focus on his communication efforts… but the mysterious man decides to open the door and let himself in.

From director Frankie De Leonardis, Floating, also known as Flotando, shows what a skilled filmmaker can do on a limited budget. Ultimately telling an allegorical story about self-realization and acceptance, this clever sci-fi short packs a surreal comic punch.

Watch a short – and very tense – trailer for Floating below. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: 5 Minutes Too Late

From Romanian writer-director Dan Chisu, 5 Minutes Too Late is a gripping drama based on true events.

A cinema in Bucharest screening a controversial film about a lesbian couple becomes the epicenter of a radical, far-right, anti-gay protest. During the incident, a young man is physically attacked and brought to the hospital in a coma.

Complicating matters are inconsistencies in the police reports, in which they claim the attack on the young man took place before their arrival. The accuracy of their claim is called into question when security footage shows the ambulance arriving after the police, and leaked footage belonging to a bystander reveals the captain making homophobic comments to one of the anti-gay protesters.

A battle over competing narratives ensues between the stubborn, arrogant captain and an equally stubborn, idealistic investigative reporter who is just looking to unveil the truth.

As each party attempts to gain the upper hand over the public narrative, the officer and the reporter engage in questionable tactics in an effort to thwart each other. Meanwhile, a young man clinging to life becomes increasingly forgotten amid their political struggle.

Watch the trailer for 5 Minutes Too Late below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Watch the dark, ’90s-set cruising thriller Devil’s Path this Halloween

In the early 90s, while searching for his missing brother in a remote gay cruising park, Noah (Stephen Twardokus) sets his sights on a handsome stranger (JD Scalzo).

When Noah is viciously attacked, he and his new companion escape through the woods with two menacing thugs in hot pursuit.

Lost and frightened, they begin to turn on each other and slowly unravel the truth of what’s really going on around them.

A moody, picturesque psychological thriller from prolific actor and first-time director Matthew Montgomery, Devil’s Path is Halloween viewing-ready. The film features unexpected twists and turns, and seamlessly blends sharp, opposing perspectives about sex and love with suspenseful set pieces filled with existential dread.

Watch the trailer for Devil’s Path below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

George Takei narrates the feel-good mountaineering doc Who’s on Top

Who’s on Top is a new feature-length documentary which shines a spotlight on members of the LGBTQ community – including those with a range of mountaineering experience – who challenge stereotypes about gender and sexuality in the outdoor arena.

Historically excluded and ostracized as not belonging to the natural domain, the climbers will tackle not only a mountain, but assumptions about who they are and how they belong to the world of outdoor adventure.

Narrated by George Takei, Who’s on Top portrays a journey like no other, a never-before-told story about what makes LGBTQ folks both distinct and connected, facing physical, mental and societal obstacles.

Watch the trailer for Who’s on Top below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 12/4/20

A lucrative win at the races for newlyweds Kevin and Jay turns into a perilous car ride home when Jay claims ownership of the prize and has a very different idea of how to spend the cash to Kevin. Dekkoo Films presents the original short film, ‘Jackplot.’

In Manhattan, film-maker Erik bonds with closeted lawyer Paul after a fling. As their relationship becomes one fueled by highs, lows, and dysfunctional patterns, Erik struggles to negotiate his own boundaries while being true to himself. ‘Keep the Lights On’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

United States, the 50s. Amongst stuffed poodles, whiskey-infused teas, sinful mambo lessons, and threats of alien invasion, Mr(s). Fairytale spends her days locked in her dream home and without a moment to breathe. A surreal world where anyone can finally be who they want to be, but behind which hides another upsetting reality. Stream ‘Fairytale’ now on Dekkoo!

Carl, struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, meets James for a one night stand. ‘Your Heart is Homeless’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A confidently out German-born Iranian falls for an Iranian immigrant in a refugee center in Faraz Shariat’s vibrant, lively, lovely debut. – Variety

Short Film Spotlight: Black Knuckle and Deputy Maltese

Two men on opposite sides of the law – a notorious outlaw and a principled deputy – can’t quite ignore their feelings for one another in the heartwarming Western comedy Black Knuckle and Deputy Maltese.

Deputy Maltese (Lane Compton) has mixed feelings when he learns that Black Knuckle (Gabriel Sousa) has been apprehended. A wanted thief, the most valuable asset Black Knuckle ever stole was the deputy’s heart. Still, Maltese can’t sit idly by with his lover behind bars. He lets Black Knuckle go, allowing himself to be tied up in the process to make it look like to proper escape.

Their parting is bittersweet, but thankfully won’t last long. Black Knuckle is soon captured by a band of even more dangerous outlaws. It’s up to Deputy Maltese – along with his badass, no-nonsense female sheriff (Kym Wilson) – to step up, ride out and go save the man he loves.

With a lightening-fast pace and game performances, Black Knuckle and Deputy Maltese plays out like a live-action cartoon. Director Jason Phillips and screenwriter Theo Poling have great fun upending American Western tropes in delightful ways. Using a diverse cast, playing characters who freely accept and encourage the gay ‘will-they-won’t-they’ romance unfolding before them, the film manages to be radically subversive in the most charming, easy-breezy, non-confrontational way possible. It’s just good, clean fun. The only downside is that, at just 14-minutes, you’ll wish it was a feature-length film.

Watch the trailer for Black Knuckle and Deputy Maltese below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 11/20/20

Ryan and Jacob have been together for 4 years. They had planned to get married in the summer of 2020. Then a pandemic hit. And Jacob got sick. Dekkoo Films presents, ‘Do We Really Have to Say Goodbye’.

‘Back On Board: Greg Louganis’ is an intimate portrait of the public triumphs and private struggles of trailblazing openly gay athlete Greg Louganis. A refreshingly candid documentary film about this four-time Olympic champion, ‘Back On Board’ follows Louganis as he struggles with financial security and reunites with the sport he once dominated but was not welcome in.

‘History’ follows Jamie, a thirty-something gay New York lawyer, in the days after a messy breakup with his partner of five years, Jared. Through flashbacks, the audience watches Jamie’s evolution—or lack thereof—on issues of intimacy, sex, gender role conformity and friendships as he rebuilds his life on his own terms. Binge all three seasons of ‘History’ now on Dekkoo!

In the western town of Coal Ridge, a deputy keeps his love a secret until the outlaw who stole his heart is taken hostage. ‘Black Knuckle and Deputy Maltese’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A polyamorous couple sets out to test the limits of a restrictive society.

New This Week – 2/7/20

A gay sauna, not unlike the legendary Continental Baths, is the meeting place for a ragtag group of strangers looking for anonymous sex – and perhaps a friendly smile – in this compassionate new comedy-drama. Everyone at Copa 181 is looking to escape from their mundane reality. Falling under its seductive spell, they learn that family is where you find it. ‘Copa 181’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

The 15 year old footballers Loris and Thomas are bored, and steal their trainer’s mobile phone, where they discover photos of young footballers naked in the shower. Loris decided to use the pictures as a revenge. Stream ‘Play it Like a Man’ now on Dekkoo!

Kumar, a bachelor in his thirties leaves his corporate job in Kochi to become a graphic novelist. He embarks on a new life as an Uber driver in Kochi while working on his graphic novel titled ‘Pixelia’. One day a transgender named Mandakini gets into his cab and that day changes Kumar’s life forever. ‘Pixelia’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: The release of the trailer for our brand-new Dekkoo-original ‘Stranger Hearts’!

New This Week – 8/2/19

In a working class neighborhood in Casablanca, Abdellah, a homosexual teen, tries to build his own life within his big family, caught between an authoritarian mother and an older brother, who he adores. Stream ‘Salvation Army’ now on Dekkoo!

When Nathan tells Bret that he’s HIV positive, it doesn’t go well for Nathan. But months later, things take a turn for Bret. ‘All Things Fade’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

If you can imagine ‘Lethal Weapon’ with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as younger, hotter ex-boyfriends, you’ll have the basis for ‘Hot Guys With Guns’, a modern take on the old-fashioned detective story. It’s ‘Chinatown’ meets ‘Boystown’. ‘Hot Guys With Guns’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Dekkoo Films presents a smart, funny, and sexy globe-trotting (and bed-hopping) romantic drama.

New This Week – 9/6/18

While spending the summer in cottage country on the shores of Lake Superior, three teens cope with boredom by testing the limits of their experience. ‘Sleeping Giant’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo!

Dekkoo Films presents ‘Lost Years’. In this short film, Felix is a young boy who, after the death of his mother, is sent to a boarding school abroad. There he meets his roommate, Leo, with whom he begins a relationship.

In the film ‘Burning Blue’, two Navy fighter pilots find themselves in the midst of a forbidden relationship throwing their lives and careers into disarray.

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Coming next week: A man’s life is his image.