Described by Interview Magazine as a “literary transgressor and cultural paragon,” Abdellah Taïa became the first openly gay Arab writer in 2006 and remains once of the only openly homosexual Moroccan writers or filmmakers. Since his coming-out, he has become an iconic figure throughout the Arab world, and a beacon of hope in a country where homosexuality is still illegal. His 2013 film Salvation Army, now available on Dekkoo, is widely considered to have given Arab cinema its first gay protagonist.
Adapted from his own novel, itself based on his own coming-of-age, Taïa’s story concerns Abdellah (played by Said Mrini as a teen and Karim Ait M’Hand as an adult), a young gay man navigating the sexual, racial and political climate of Morocco.
Growing up in a large family in a working-class neighborhood, Abdellah is caught between a distant father, an authoritarian mother, an older brother whom he adores and a handful of predatory older men all too happy to take advantage of his sexual confusion in a society that denies his homosexuality.
As a college student, Abdellah moves to Geneva and while faced with the new possibilities of freedom, he grapples with the loss of his homeland. Both chapters in this character’s life inform one another in powerful and moving ways.
You can watch the trailer for Salvation Army below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.
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!
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.
A fresh, honest and laugh-out-loud-hilarious exploration of modern gay relationships, friendships and the blurry line between the two, I’m Fine is a positively charming original “pocket series” from Dekkoo. We’re thrilled to let you know that all episodes of Season 3, the official Final Season, are now available!
Created by Brandon Kirby, an up-and-coming filmmaker with strong ties to the world of gay-themed cinema and television, the first season on I’m Fine centers around the recent demise of a gay relationship – finding both humor and poignancy within the related pathos.
The beginning of the series finds Nate (Perry Powell), an attractive 20-something, still hopelessly obsessed with his aloof ex-boyfriend Joey (Shaughn Buchholz). He also ends up blurring the lines between friendship and romance with his best friend Jeff (Lee Doud).
Season Two picked up a few weeks after Season One – with Nate is continuing to move on from his breakup with Joey while simultaneously dealing with the fallout of sleeping with Jeff. There’s also a surplus of lovable supporting characters with their own romantic trials and tribulations – namely Richard Stokes and Ulysses Morazan as the coupled Andy and Brian.
In the third and final season of the Dekkoo-original series, Nate has at last put Joey behind him and moves forward in his career and friendships. That is, until an opportunity presents itself that makes him question everything he knows about L.A. All the while Jeff, Andy, Nicole and Mick navigate what it is they want and need in order to finally feel… fine.
Featuring crisp writing and direction and terrific performances from a culturally diverse cast, the series has garnered near countless clicks from subscribers and earned stellar reviews from Dekkoo users. It’s the gay rom-com gift that keeps on giving.
In the third and final season of the Dekkoo-original series, Nate has at last put Joey behind him and moves forward in his career and friendships. That is, until an opportunity presents itself that makes him question everything he knows about L.A. All the while Jeff, Andy, Nicole and Mick navigate what it is they want and need in order to finally feel…fine.
Two men meet for a passionate sexual encounter that ends up getting far more personal than either had imagined. Tackling issues of self-image, the prescribed sexual roles of gay men and notions of masculinity, this short film shows what happens when two attractive young guys cut through all the sexual tension and really start getting intimate. Dekkoo Films presents ‘Rubber Dolphin’.
‘The Pink Angels’ is an outlaw-biker movie from 1971 about a gang of gay bikers on their way to a ball to compete as drag queens. B-movie gold and, considering it was released in the early 70’s, treats its LGBTQ+ characters with respect.
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Coming next week: Two hot guys. Two smoking guns. One helluva ride.
When Tyler O’Conner, a young gay author, visits a therapist, he realizes that his intense fear of negative consequences is keeping him from living his life to the fullest. Determined to change his behavior, he decides to bite the bullet and ask his cute neighbor, Shane, out for coffee. But will his deep-seated neurosis threaten their burgeoning romance? ‘Analysis Paralysis’ is a available to stream now on Dekkoo!
Leonardo is a blind teenager searching for independence. His everyday life, the relationship with his best friend, Giovana, and the way he sees the world change completely with the arrival of Gabriel. Watch ‘The Way He Looks’ now on Dekkoo!
‘A Last Farewell’ is both a calm and upsetting portrait of an aging author’s sorrow over the death of his long-term partner.
In the early 1990s, two strangers (played by Stephen Twardokus and JD Scalzo) meet in a wilderness park where gay men cruise for sex.
What seems like an innocent and random meeting quickly descends into a horrific nightmare. With recent disappearances and attacks, the two men soon find themselves in the terrifying position of being the next victims in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
As they flee further into the woods to escape the danger, they begin to understand that the greatest danger of all may be closer than either of them realize.
Will these two strangers be able to work together to defeat the darkness that has settled in on Devil’s Path? Or will their own secrets and lies lead them to be the next two missing persons in this perilous park?
This riveting new gay thriller from writer-director Matthew Montgomery will keep you on the edge of your seat. Watch the trailer for Devil’s Path below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.
A fresh, honest and laugh-out-loud-hilarious exploration of modern gay relationships, friendships and the blurry line between the two, I’m Fine is a positively charming original “pocket series” from Dekkoo. We’re proud to announce that all episodes of Season 3, the official Final Season, are coming to Dekkoo on July 25th!
Created by Brandon Kirby, an up-and-coming filmmaker with strong ties to the world of gay-themed cinema and television, the first season on I’m Fine centers around the recent demise of a gay relationship – finding both humor and poignancy within the related pathos.
The beginning of the series finds Nate (Perry Powell), an attractive 20-something, still hopelessly obsessed with his aloof ex-boyfriend Joey (Shaughn Buchholz). He also ends up blurring the lines between friendship and romance with his best friend Jeff (Lee Doud).
Season Two picked up a few weeks after Season One – with Nate is continuing to move on from his breakup with Joey while simultaneously dealing with the fallout of sleeping with Jeff. There’s also a surplus of lovable supporting characters with their own romantic trials and tribulations – namely Richard Stokes and Ulysses Morazan as the coupled Andy and Brian.
Featuring crisp writing and direction and terrific performances from a culturally diverse cast, the series has garnered near countless clicks from subscribers and earned stellar reviews from Dekkoo users. It’s the gay rom-com gift that keeps on giving.
Check out the trailer for I’m Fine: The Final Season below. Also make sure to watch (or re-watch) the first two seasons before the new one comes along later this month. Both are available now on Dekkoo!
Two men encounter each other on a dangerous gay cruising park trail, and quickly find themselves caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse. ‘Devil’s Path’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!
New from Dekkoo Films! When a college student goes to his first hook-up with a mysterious older man, he must determine if his anxieties point to a darker truth about his host for the night. ‘Fish Tank’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!
‘William, the New Judo Master’ portrays the universe of an eternal being that exists within a life cycle filled with disappointments and hopelessness. It’s the chronicle about the search for love and the fight against oblivion. Stream ‘William, The New Judo Master’ now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: A romantic comedy about the intersection of imagination and anxiety, and the courage to reach for love.
Martin (Paul Delbreil), an aspiring young filmmaker, arrives in Paris in a desperate attempt to reunite with his first love, Lea (Adele Csech). Though lively, cultured and curious, Lea is not very happy. Although she doesn’t quite know what her future is going to look like, she’s pretty sure that it won’t include Martin as a romantic partner.
Reluctantly, Martin begins to accept the fact that their relationship is truly over. Now he must find a way to rebuild his life from scratch. He’s just starting to do that when, much to his surprise, he ends up falling head-over-heels in love… with another man.
Sexy, romantic, funny and poignant, Love Blooms takes a sensitive look at sexual discovery, young love and trying to find yourself, while struggling to become a mature adult.
You can watch the trailer for Love Blooms below. The full film is now available on Dekkoo.
Kevin James Thornton—the creator of How to Get From Here To There—is a man of many talents. From writing to directing to even scoring the film, Thornton used his diverse skill set to produce this emotionally visceral amalgam of a movie that seems to fall into the categories of drama, experimental, and sci-fi all at once. As our protagonist—known as Commander—deals with the loss of his mother, he also struggles with his past decisions that have left him alone and defeated. But what if our destinies aren’t set in stone? An encounter with a make-believe time machine from his childhood will allow Commander to explore just that.
Tell us a little bit about who Kevin James Thornton is:
My life has taken a lot of weird tangents. I moved to Nashville about two decades ago with my band to pursue a record deal. We succeeded and toured for many years. I spent a little while doing comedy in Los Angeles and even wrote for the Huffington Post. Eventually, I started taking portraits and making short films and music videos. Today, I consider myself a full-time filmmaker. It really brings all of my life experiences together into one medium.
What was your main source of inspiration for the events that take place in this film?
I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that we create our own destinies. I wanted to make a movie about that. I also wanted to make a film that represented gay people in a way that didn’t just focus on the struggle of being gay. There’s a lot of my life in it, of course. I was in a bad relationship with an alcoholic. My mother is alive and well, though.
A major theme in this film is time and how you can’t go back to the past but you can change the future. What does this mean to you specifically as a person?
It just resonates with me. Every single day, we all have limitless choices we can make stepping into tomorrow. For me, this theme carries a hopeful message.
The film’s protagonist is a gay man, yet you didn’t seem to waste much time on themes of gay shame or the coming-out experience. Was that a deliberate choice?
Representation is important and necessary. I love all the films about the queer struggle from Brokeback Mountain to Boy Erased to Philadelphia. But I also want myself and other filmmakers to begin to add to the dialogue. There’s so much to explore, and I’m excited that it’s starting to happen and that I get to be a part of it.
This film takes its audience on a roller coaster of emotions to different worlds well beyond that of reality through the lens of a toy that the protagonist made as a boy. Why do you think breaking away from reality into the realm of metaphor was important to telling this story?
I love using childhood imagination to show adult emotion. It makes the film more moving. Toy Story 3 is a great example of that. It reaches into an innocent part of us and resonates in a different way.
Another unique aspect of the film is its use of actors that don’t fall into the stereotypical “Hollywood twink” category. What do you think queer viewers will gain from seeing these realistic men on screen as opposed to the glamorized, Hollywood versions we’ve all come to expect?
Wait. I’m not a twink? Kidding. That’s SO BORING. In my experience, a lot of gay men like big hairy man bodies and rugged faces. But eye candy is probably pretty clearly not the focus of this film. That said, you have to admit Daniel Mark Collins is pretty stunning.
As a musician, did you have a big part in sonically shaping the film?
I did. I wrote, performed, and recorded it all with the help of my band, Indiana Queen.
What would the Kevin James Thornton from fifteen years ago think after seeing this film?
Considering that I was on tour full-time with my band fifteen years ago, my first question would be, “Wait, does the record-deal thing not work out?” But then I’d get really excited about seeing all of my creativity come together in a film.
If you were given the option to either travel back in time or into the future, which would you pick?
With the way things are in the world right now, I’m a little scared of the future, so I’m going to pick the past. I’d go back to 1950s Manhattan, get a funky apartment in Greenwich Village, and hunt down James Dean to make him love me.
How does it feel to have How To Get From Here To There on Dekkoo? What do you think the platform will do for your film, and what do you think the film will do for Dekkoo’s viewers?
I am so thrilled to have my film on Dekkoo. Having my first feature on a legitimate platform is such a huge accomplishment for me. I hope the viewers love it. I really tried to make something outside of the box.
What are your future plans?
I’m in pre-production for a series I wrote called Stranger Hearts. It’s about several diverse LGBTQ people whose lives all cross and connect in profound ways. We’re shooting it in July, and it’s going to be really good!
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