Category: Award Winner

Don’t miss the charming and unusual LGBTQ rom-com Straight Up

A major hit at film festivals when it first premiered in 2019, writer-director James Sweeney’s Straight Up is one of the best gay rom-coms of the past several years.

Sweeney himself stars as Todd, a hyper-articulate and obsessive compulsive twentysomething whose frustration over the gay dating scene leads him to a baffling conclusion: maybe he’s actually straight?!

When Todd meets Rory, a witty and equally whip-smart young actress played by Katie Findlay, the two form a strong connection and try to enter into a hetero relationship together – one that turns out to be all talk and no sex.

Can the two get past their hang-ups and make a real go at a loving and committed asexual relationship? Or are they just good friends who are fooling themselves?

Featuring razor-sharp dialog that evokes classic Hollywood, but with distinctly 21st century references, Straight Up is a deeply funny and charming crowd-pleaser that explores just how elastic our definitions of love and sexuality can get.

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

Short Film Spotlight: To (10) Centimeters

When Christophe (Otman Salil), a soft-spoken violinist studying at a music conservatory, moves in with Jerome (Thomas Alden), his almost instant attraction to the young and handsome up-and-coming journalist is palpable.

Unfortunately for Christophe, Jerome is seemingly straight. When he also learns that Jerome has a girlfriend (Océane Dailly), any romantic hopes he had are quickly dashed. His infatuation, however, grows deeper. He borrows Jerome’s clothes and even crosses a line while he’s sleeping.

Facing agonizing longing, their new living arrangement seems untenable. But before Christophe leaves for good, he devises an unusual way to tell Jerome how he really feels.

To (10) Centimeters, a new 25-minute short from Paris-based Japanese filmmaker Masaya Matsui, has style to spare and is packed with intriguing mystery. Watching the film, you’re never quite sure where your allegiance should lie. Is there a real simmering connection between the new roommates or is Christophe projecting and creating a gender-flipped Single White Female scenario? You’ll have to watch and decide for yourself.

Watch a short trailer for To (10) Centimeters below. The full film is available now on Dekkoo.

Director Eytan Fox follows up with one of his most beloved characters in the gay drama Yossi

Released in 2002, the beloved gay romance Yossi and Jagger followed the romance that developed between two soldiers stationed in an Israeli outpost on the Lebanese border. Ten years later, award-winning director Eytan Fox decided to follow up with one of his most cherished characters.

Dr. Yossi Hoffman (Ohad Knoller) has become a valued and dedicated cardiologist, often using his work as a way to escape from dealing with his anguished life. He lives alone, still closeted, unable to break through the walls and defenses built around him since the death of his lover. Even his co-workers a recently divorced doctor, who tries to sweep Yossi into his world of women and drugs, and a lonely nurse, who is secretly in love with him find it almost impossible to get close to him.

Yossi’s daily routine at the hospital is shaken up by the arrival of a mysterious woman. He follows her, and through the surprising connection they make, receives a rare opportunity to deal with his trauma. Yossi then travels to the southern city of Eilat. Surrounded by the sea and sand dunes, he meets a group of young Israeli officers, among them Tom (Oz Zehavi), a handsome and self confident openly gay man, who represents a new world, different from the one that shaped our lead character.

An emotional, critically-acclaimed sequel, Yossi is now available on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

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.