Category: Gay Film

New This Week – 6/30/17

Animals_NEWA Spanish teenager is forced to abandon the safety of childhood (and his walking, talking teddy bear) for the troubling world of adulthood, sexuality and responsibility in this wildly original story. Watch ‘Animals’ on Dekkoo!

Kasal_NEWIn the movie, ‘Kasal’, a gay couple, who resolve to stay together, is challenged as they attend a wedding.

df10a71b-0708-433c-ae27-27bdf8095309-72f60c33‘It Gets Better‘ is a gay love story between Adam, a closeted jock, and Pierre, an openly gay boy, that revolves around peer pressure, bullying and acceptance.

7b73e8ce-b39e-4370-a849-734df08a2364-1364cf12‘The Abominable Crime‘ is a riveting documentary that explores the religious-based culture of homophobia in Jamaica through the eyes of gay Jamaicans forced to choose between their homeland and their lives.

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Coming next week – A true, self-told story about the same lifelong love we all hope for.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 025 – ‘The Country Teacher’

Title – ‘The Country Teacher‘

Director – Bohdan Sláma

Starring – Pavel Liška, Zuzana Bydžovská, Ladislav Šedivý, Marek Daniel

Release Date – 2008

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It’s Wednesday!! Only 2 more workdays until 4th of July weekend! I don’t know what your plans are, but I’m venturing into the desert and drinking Tiki drinks poolside for 4 days straight. Heaven… Did everyone see the exciting news about ‘Screwed’ being picked up by Dekkoo out of Frameline?? I’ve seen it and it’s an incredibly sexy Finnish tale of first lust with a great sense of humor about it. I talked to a few people who saw it at the sold-out screening at Frameline and they said it was a super high energy screening. Get psyched!

As a city-living boy for most of my life I’ve always romanticized the life lived in the countryside. When I saw ‘The Country Teacher‘ at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival back in 2008 it completely fed into that romanticism and I was swept away by the golden fields of hay and the ancient practice of drawing of water from wells. Of course we’re also talking about a movie from the Czech Republic so in addition to the romantic stuff we’re also talking about insane Eastern European drunks that harass people and beat each other up. Although come to think of it that seems sorta romantic as well…

Anyways let’s talk about the characters at the heart of this emotional drama. Petr is a teacher that decides to move to the countryside from the busy city for unspecified reasons. After arriving and settling in (his landlord/boss gives him 6 months before he can’t stand the small town anymore and runs away) he falls asleep on a bed of hay and wakes up to find Marie standing over him, the woman who owns the farm he’s wandered into. She’s kind to him and invites him out to socialize with some of the villagers. He comes to realize that Marie is falling in love with him, but he’s too awkward to admit what we here at Dekkoo realize right away… he’s gay. He really likes her and feels affection for her, but he’s much more interested in her teenage son and offers his teaching skills to become more ingrained in his life.

I don’t want to go into much more detail because Petr goes through quite a journey in the film and it’s very emotional. By the end of the film you’ll absolutely fall in love with Marie who is so unbelievably kind and I fear that there aren’t many of her sort left in the world. ‘The Country Teacher‘ is a striking picture that combines the best of European art-house cinema and Queer self-discovery cinema into one wondrous picture that will leave you swooning.

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Watch it with:  By yourself or someone else that won’t talk much. It’s very meditative.

Mix it with: Coffee.

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NEW THIS WEEK – 6/23/17

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New episodes of ‘I’m Fine’ are available NOW!

Cute, 20-something Nate isn’t hurting for dates. Even his best friend Jeff confesses his feelings in a moment of drunken vulnerability. Nate, though, is still hopelessly obsessed with his ex-boyfriend Joey. Poignant and funny, this Dekkoo-original series follows Nate as he tries to find closure and break himself out of romantic purgatory.

Don’t miss the Dekkoo Q&A with director Brandon Kirby!

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In this bittersweet drama, a closeted science teacher takes a job in a small Czech village. He’s soon fending off advances from the woman with whom he’s staying. At the same time, he becomes increasingly infatuated with her unruly 17-year-old son – and begins tutoring him in an effort to get closer. Watch ‘The Country Teacher’ on Dekkoo!

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In the short film ‘The Naturalist‘, a gay man living in a genetically modified society is given the chance to alter his sexuality. He must weigh his loving relationship, his dignity and his survival in this short film about the origins of sexuality.

 

DEKKOO TAKES ALL DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS ON ‘SCREWED’ AT FRAMELINE

(New York, NY) June 22, 2017 – Gay streaming platform Dekkoo has acquired North American, UK and French DVD and VOD distribution rights to Nils-Erik Ekblom’s young adult drama “Screwed” (“Pihalla”).

The deal was negotiated shortly after the films’ capacity crowd premiere at Frameline, San Francisco’s International LGBT Film Festival, earlier this week. Terms were brokered by Dekkoo President Brian Sokel and Screwed director Nils-Erik Ekblom and producer, Tom Norrgrann.

Based on the personal experience of its young writer-filmmaker, Screwed is a distinctly sensual, beautifully shot, and sensitively acted drama about a young gay man’s sexual awakening amidst familiar turmoil set against the tranquil backdrop of the Finnish countryside.

“We are absolutely delighted to have the chance to distribute Screwed. It is truly an example of the resurgence of new Queer cinema at its most forward-thinking and affecting.” said Sokel.

Nils-Erik Ekblom said, “Only Dekkoo could offer us such unique home video distribution. As a streaming platform dedicated to gay cinema, Dekkoo is the perfect place for Screwed to instantly reach a passionate and dedicated audience. We’re absolutely thrilled we’ve been offered this opportunity.”

Screwed will be released day-and-date on the Dekkoo streaming platform and home video in the first quarter of 2018.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 024 – ‘I’M FINE’ IS BACK!

Title – ‘I’m Fine‘

Director – Brandon Kirby

Starring – Perry Powell, Lee Doud, Shaughn Buchholz, Ulysses Morazan

Release Date – 2017

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The wait is finally over! Episodes 5-8 of Dekkoo’s Original Series ‘I’m Fine‘ are online for your immediate on-the-go entertainment. Nate, Jeff, Andy, Brian, and yes even the legendary love-of-Nate’s-life Joey are back in action!

After binging the last 4 episodes of Season 1 I had soooo many questions for director Brandon Kirby. Below are a few of them for your enjoyment:

FD: So at the end of episode 4 Jeff reveals his more-than-friends feelings for Nate which to me was what I was most excited about with the release of episodes 5-8. Has that situation ever happened to you?

BK: Since moving to LA, I’ve played the Jeff role in that scenario numerous times, admitting my feelings to friends of mine, and once I was in the Nate position. With that friend, we actually ended up trying to be romantic with each other, but ultimately decided we are DEFINITELY only meant to be very close friends.

FD: Was there any inspiration for that hilarious party scene in Episode 5?

BK: The whole situation with the grandma’s painting, that actually happened to me a couple years ago at a house party in Hollywood on New Year’s Eve. I was drunk, waiting in line for the bathroom and bumped into a painting on the wall. The host called me out for it. The version of that happening in Ep5 is obviously dramatized.

FD: Speaking of dramatized… from money-hungry party hosts, to shady pool boy escorts, to awkward brunch guests you’ve painted a slightly depressing view of LA. At the end of the day do you have a positive view of gay life in Los Angeles or are we all doomed?

BK: Ha! I mean, we might all be doomed for other reasons. But in terms of Los Angeles and West Hollywood specifically, I do love living here but it took me a while – years, actually – to fully come around to it. So, in that time in between, I found a lot of the flaws and a lot of the things in the gay community that, y’know, aren’t the best. But of course any skewering I’m doing here comes from a place of love.

FD: You’ve teased a lot of new characters in the second half of Season 1. Which of them are you most excited to explore?

BK: I’m excited to explore Jeff’s roommate Louis, who we haven’t met before, and their new mutual friend Zachary, who plays an especially important role in Season 2.

FD: Well then you should totally dish on what’s going to happen in Season 2!

BK: Let’s just say the storylines go beyond just exploring why Nate is clinging to being “fine” but to his circle of friends, as well. We dive a bit deeper into everyone’s individual existential crises. And yes, it’s still a comedy!

FD: Well I’m super psyched for it. I’ll leave you alone after you tell me your top 3 films on Dekkoo.

BK: ‘Edge of Seventeen‘, ‘Concrete Night‘, & ‘Parting Glances‘

WATCH IT NOWWWW!

DEKKOO DISPATCH 023 – ‘EDGE OF SEVENTEEN’ AND ‘GO-GO REJECT’

Title – ‘Edge of Seventeen‘

Director – David Moreton

Starring – Chris Stafford, Lea DeLaria, Tina Holmes, Andersen Gabrych

Release Date – 1998

Title – ‘Go-Go Reject‘

Director – Michael J. Saul

Starring – Heath Daniels, Josh Babich, Korken Alexander

Release Date – 2010

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Hi everyone! We’re halfway through Pride Month now and I’m definitely not ready for it to be over yet. Tomorrow kicks off Frameline’s LGBTQ Film Festival in San Francisco which is always a great time. Let us know if you see any awesome films there you think should be added to Dekkoo!

Last week was a little on the dark side, so this week I’m lightening it up with two super cute ones! Start your movie night with a bit of glitter with ‘Go-Go Reject‘. Daniel is a your average queen that hangs out at go-go bars with friends and dreams of leaving his day job at Yogurt World. One day Daniel realizes he needs to fulfill his dreams of becoming a dancer. More specifically Daniel wants to be exactly like Jennifer Beals in ‘Flashdance’ minus the steel mill of course. Sadly Daniel isn’t exactly the hottest guy ever and can’t quite convince club owners to hire him so he takes matters into his own hands. The best thing about this short film is the unbridled enthusiasm of the main character played by Heath Daniels (who also stars in several other films by Michael J. Saul such as ‘Adults Only‘ which he also wrote!) and the really hot skinny guy he dances with at the end (call me!).

We’re traveling to the 80s gentlemen! Hold on to your mascara! Boom! The year is 1984 and it’s summer vacation. Eric Hunter is about to start his first day of work at a theme park in Sandusky, Ohio with his best friend Maggie. They both share a love of Toni Basil (Hey Mickey!), Eurythmics and making fun of their lame high school classmates, but right when Maggie seems to be having feelings for Eric that go beyond friendship Eric meets co-worker Rod. He’s older, sexy as hell, and is out and proud about being gay. Thus begins a sexual awakening for Eric that takes place over a year of his life, but only 103 minutes for us.

‘Edge of Seventeen‘ was written by Todd Stephens (‘Another Gay Movie’, ‘Another Gay Sequel‘) and was actually based on his life as a teen in Sandusky. Originally slated to direct the pic, the duty fell to his friend David Moreton (‘Testosterone’) at the last minute who took the reigns on this touching and ground breaking feature. The movie was filmed in 1998, but you’ll swear it was filmed in the 80s due to the awesome music (supposedly 80s music was unpopular to license at that point in the 90s so the filmmakers were able to get it for cheap), rad costuming (polyester everywhere!), and muted color grainy cinematography (filmed in 16mm and then blown up to 35mm). On Dekkoo we’re presenting the brand-new HD Restoration which looks gorgeous!

‘Edge of Seventeen‘ is one of those films where I could go on a very long rant about interesting facts. I’ll just talk about the case for brevity’s sake!

  • Chris Stafford who plays the main character, Eric actually left the world of acting shortly after starring in ‘Edge’ and became a lawyer. I was browsing the deep reaches of the internet one day and actually saw his speech from the University of Miami at his graduation where he was the class valedictorian!
  • You might find the girl who plays Maggie familiar. She plays the older sister character in the popular gay film ‘Shelter’.
  • Lea DeLaria who plays the lovable boss Angie is now super famous for her role in ‘Orange is the New Black’.
  • Andersen Gabrych (Rod) has a cameo role in every single Todd Stephens film. My favorite one is in ‘Another Gay Movie‘ where he gets puked on!

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Watch ’em with:  A large group of fun queens!

Mix it with: One of those blue drinks.

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