Category: Award Winner

Now Available: Dream Boat

While it’s certainly not advisable to set sail on a cruise ship during a pandemic, this colorful and wildly entertaining documentary invites you aboard from the safe comfort of your home.

Once a year, during normal times, the “Dream Boat” sets sail for a cruise exclusively for gay men – where most passengers, from all corners of the world, are united by the wish to live life authentically as themselves in a protected place. The men have seven days to enjoy their freedom and to love openly. But also on board are their personal stories, their doubts and uncertainties.

Dipankar from India escaped an arranged marriage and now throws himself into action to find the man of his dreams; Ramzi was persecuted by the police in Palestine for being gay and had to start a new life in Europe; Frenchman Philippe was let down by his family when he was bound to a wheelchair, but found a new family with his partner; Martin from Austria enjoys the hedonism and abundant choice of men on the ship and gives his perspective on how to deal with HIV today; and Marek from Poland has everything he needs to stand out on the men’s market, thanks to his trained body.

Watch the trailer for Dream Boat below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Plantonic

A wildly inventive short film romance, Plantonic follows the unique relationship that grows (literally) between a young aspiring artist and the incredibly attractive half-man/half-plant that seems to have grown from a garden.

Originally from Bangkok, writer-director Krit Komkrichwarakool earned a degree in Communication Design, then moved to Canada to pursue a career in film. Integrating his knowledge of design with his approach to filmmaking, Krit brings a unique point of view to his storytelling.

His short film Freefall won “Best Director” at Moscow Shorts and was nominated for “Best Short Film” at the 2018 Leo Awards. Plantonic, recently premiered at Inside Out and won “Outstanding Short Film” at the Reelworld Film Festival and “Best Screenplay” at the Vancouver Short Film Festival.

“Film is a great medium to explore the reflections of our own existence, and the ultimate question of why each of us is here. It is why I do what I do. To speak with my own subconscious. To find a trace of the answers that connect us all,” said Komkrichwarakool.

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

The beloved comedy series Where the Bears Are has a new home on Dekkoo!

From the creative team of Rick Copp (The Brady Bunch Movie), Joe Dietl (Mom, Maron) and Ben Zook (Jack and Jill) comes Where the Bears Are, a comedy mystery web series that has accumulated over 40 million loyal viewers since it first premiered in 2012 and won the “Best Gay Web Series” award from After Elton.

What would you do if you found a dead body in your bathtub the morning after a wild party at your house? That’s the dilemma facing three gay bears in this hair-raising comedy-mystery series – a hilarious romp through one of L.A.’s hippest neighborhoods that will have you laughing out loud and gasping in surprise!

Watch the trailer for Where the Bears Are below. The full first season is now available on Dekkoo.

The New Queer Cinema Classic Poison is Now Available on Dekkoo!

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival, Poison was the second feature directed by Todd Haynes – the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Far from Heaven, Velvet Goldmine and Carol.

This groundbreaking American Indie was the most fervently debated film of the early 1990s and a trailblazing landmark of queer cinema. A work of immense visual invention, Haynes’ spectacular follow-up to his legendary Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is audacious, disturbing and thrillingly cinematic.

Inspired by the writings of Jean Genet, Poison deftly interweaves trio of transgressive tales – “Hero,” “Horror” and “Homo” – that build toward a devastating climax.

“Hero,” shot in mock TV-documentary style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice; “Horror,” filmed like a delirious ’50s B-movie melodrama, is a gothic tale of a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; while “Homo” explores the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates.

A runaway hit which made national headlines when it was attacked by right-wing figures including Dick Armey, Ralph Reed and minister Donald Wildmon, Poison is unsettling, unforgettable and thoroughly entertaining.

Watch the original theatrical trailer for Poison below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Holiday

The new 20-minute short film Holiday follows twenty-something Maurice (Tijmen Govaerts) and his older brother Louis (Oscar Willems), who join the rest of their family for a weekend getaway filled with unexpected tension.

No longer a kid, but not quite an adult, Maurice is having trouble finding his place. He’s also starting to notice how much of a gap has grown between the generations.

Fueled by angst and growing more and more frustrated by his family’s myriad secrets, he starts adding a certain level of tension to each relationship, forcing a breaking point that his well-mannered relatives refuse to cross, no matter how awkward things get.

A sharp, well-observed comedy-drama from Belgian writer-director Michiel Dhont, Holiday teases at deep emotion hidden just under the surface. Watching the short film, it’s easy to imagine it expanded to feature length, delving further into each of the characters. Nonetheless, the game cast lend naturalistic performances that make the family feel authentic and relatable.

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

Short Film Spotlight: Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall

Inspired by a convention of Cold War-era Thai filmmaking not well known to American audiences – wherein most of the actors voices were dubbed to emphasize character – the politically-charged queer espionage thriller Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall carries the viewer through a strange world where cinema and reality meet.

The film follows Ang, a transgender sex worker with a pretty (and deliberately dubbed) feminine voice, who is assigned a special mission as an undercover spy. She disguises herself as a cis-masculine man to enter into a romantic relationship with Jit, a belligerent yet idealistic student activist with an evil voice (also dubbed for cinematic effect).

Ang must extract important information from Jit. However, the mission goes awry as she slowly falls for him. Apolitical at first, Ang is slowly awakened by Jit to see the other world where people speak in another way.

Hyper-stylistic, this unusual and fascinating 30-minute short film marks writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke as an artist to keep an eye on.

Watch the trailer for Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall below. The full film is available now on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss the award-winning, critically-acclaimed Kanarie

Johan Niemand (Schalk Bezuidenhout) is a fashion-loving gay teen in small-town South Africa in 1985, a time of apartheid, religious conservatism and war – an era when not even his idol Boy George had dared to come out publicly as gay yet. 

When Johan is called up to serve his compulsory two-year military training, he escapes the border war by joining The South African Defence Force Church Choir and Concert Group, known as Die Kanaries (The Canaries), where he discovers his true self through hardship, camaraderie, first love and the liberating freedom of music.

A winner of over 15 different international awards, Kanarie earned rave reviews from critics. It currently has a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Los Angeles Times called it “A rich, poignant and finely observed musical drama.” Michael McNeely in theBUZZ said “Every once in a while comes a film that is filled with so much joy, human connection, and emotional turmoil, you know that as long as it sticks the landing, it is a masterpiece.”

Watch the trailer for Kanarie below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

The lost queer classic Wild Tigers I Have Known has been restored and remastered for its 15th Anniversary

A 13-year-old boy learns to cope with his newfound sexuality and his unrequited love for the coolest kid at school in this lyrical coming-of-age indie from visionary director Cam Archer.

After being work-shopped at the 2005 Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, Wild Tigers I Have Known had its world premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival where it earned stellar reviews from critics. The film went on to be screened at New Directors/New Films Festival, London International Film Festival, Locarno International Film Festival and AFI Film Festival.

Despite great word-of-mouth, the film was heavily re-edited before being released theatrically by IFC Films in 2007. This shorter edition changed the sound as well as the order of the scenes, making them chronological. The edited version also leads to a completely different interpretation of the film’s events and themes – one not in line with the director’s original intent. In Europe, where the film was released on DVD only, the film was trimmed down to an even shorter 1 hour and 13 minutes.

In honor of the film’s 15th Anniversary, the indie boutique distribution label Altered Innocence has restored and remastered the film, presenting the full uncut version as Cam Archer envisioned it.

Watch the new trailer for Wild Tigers I Have Known below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Two high school friends get closer than they ever expected in the coming-of-age drama Blurred Lines

Janik and Samuel (Emil von Schönfels and Mekyas Mulugeta) are extremely close best friends celebrating the end of their senior year of high school. Both come from completely different worlds. Janik’s parents are seemingly perfect, while Samuel comes from a broken home. Naturally, Samuel is looking for stability while Janik just wants to rebel.

Sex and sexuality are never far from the surface for both, which leads the pair to one impulsive moment that could threaten their friendship forever. In an attempt to rekindle their relationship, the boys set off on a trip to Istanbul, but the blurred line that has been crossed proves hard to re-establish.

Based on a young adult novel by German writer and filmmaker Finn-Ole Heinrich, Blurred Lines (also known as Stambul Garden) is a thoroughly modern take on the bonds that develop between young men.

Watch the trailer for Blurred Lines below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Tucked

A tender LGBTQ drama, Tucked follows an 80-year-old drag queen who forms and unusually deep relationship with a much younger up-and-coming performer. Though the two come from different backgrounds and have wildly different day-to-day experiences both struggle with their own issues of gender identity and mortality – and find comfort, support and much to learn in one another.

Set in Brighton, Tucked is a classic British ‘slice of life’ story that pays homage to celebrated works like Kinky Boots and The Dresser. A story about love, loss and friendship with a great charm and sense of humor, the film earned rave reviews from critics all around the world and spotlights two fantastic performances from lead actors Derren Nesbitt and Jordan Stephens.

Watch the trailer for Tucked below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.