Category: Gay Film
NEW THIS WEEK – 6/23/17
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!
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!
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‘
One Great Gay Shot – ‘Latter Days’ (2003)
‘Latter Days‘ – Now available on Dekkoo!
One Great Gay Shot – ‘Hawaii’ (2013)
‘Hawaii‘ – Available now on Dekkoo.com!
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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One Great Gay Shot – ‘Four’ (2012)
DEKKOO DISPATCH 022 – ‘EASTERN BOYS’ AND ‘JOHNNY’
Title – ‘Eastern Boys‘
Director – Robin Campillo
Starring – Oliver Rabourdin, Kirill Emelyanov, Danil Vorobyev, Edea Darcque
Release Date – February 27, 2015
Title – ‘Johnny‘
Director – Micah Stuart
Starring – Tony Abatemarco, Luca Alexander, Brandon Crowder, Nikita Kochnev
Release Date – July 10, 2016
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Welcome to the new Dekkoo Blog everyone! It’s your new one stop shop for everything in the world of gay cinema. I encourage you to add Dekkoo.blog to your blog feed (or click the follow button below) and let us know if you have any suggestions to make it better.
This week we’ve got two dark and sexy films (both with hustlers) that we think you should watch ASAP!
First up is ‘Johnny‘. While there have been a glut of films that have dealt with an older man finding himself through a younger prostitute, I found that ‘Johnny‘ did it with an amount of grace and sexiness that few have come close to.
One night a random John (Sam) picks up the sexy Johnny for a hot time at a sleezy motel. What neither of them expects is the human connection that forms and the secrets that both reveal over the course of their encounter. Personally my favorite part of this short is the intense sex that occurs between the two characters. It’s rare to see such a hot inter-generational encounter in a short film like this. Even rarer to see poppers being brought into the fray. Woo!
After ‘Johnny’ you’re ready to go deeper into the world of hustlers with ‘Eastern Boys‘. This film is directed by Robin Campillo who was the writer of the Palme D’or winner, ‘The Class’. His new film ‘120 Beats Per Minute’ was just in the official selection at Cannes and is hyped as one of the best French films dealing with the ACT UP movement. The film follows a lonely gay man named Daniel. He seems well-off, but is lacking love and friendship in his life. The beginning of the film starts off showing the train urchins at the Gare du Nord station in Paris. It’s hard to tell where they’re from, but you can assume it’s somewhere in Eastern Europe. They had to leave to escape the poverty and now they’re looking for a way to make money. In walks Daniel looking for some company and he finds Marek. A rendez-vous is scheduled and when someone knocks on Daniel’s doors it’s not Marek, but a child claiming to be Marek.
I really don’t want to give too much more away. One of the best things about this movie is its wonderful balance of tension, romance, and action. I’ll tell you that I’ve never had a film make me sweat as much as this film does in the first 30 minutes. It’s nerve wracking!! ‘Eastern Boys‘ brilliantly tackles the fears and desires of both older gay men and young homeless immigrants all in just over two hours.
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Watch ’em with: You and maybe one other person whose hand you can grab onto during parts of ‘Eastern Boys‘.
Mix it with: Red Wine.
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DEKKOO DISPATCH 021 – ‘OUT IN THE DARK’ AND ‘VICTORY DAY’
Title – ‘Out In The Dark‘
Director – Michael Mayer
Starring – Nicholas Jacob, Michael Aloni, Jameel Khouri, Alon Pdut
Release Date – September 27, 2013
Title – ‘Victory Day‘
Director – Alina Rudnitskaya
Release Date – 2014
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Happy #Covfefe day everyone! Today I want to feature two films that highlight the struggle of Non-U.S. attitudes towards LGBTQ rights and the people that have the bravery to stand up for love.
The short documentary ‘Victory Day‘ is a really touching look inside the lives of 6 LGBTQ couples living in Russia – a country that has time and time again refused to accept LGBTQ people as normal citizens. While homosexual sex was decriminalized in 1993, there are still no laws on the books that prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ citizens, meaning you can still be fired from a job or kicked out of your apartment. It’s also illegal to expose children to anything other than heterosexual relationships in books, movies, textbooks, etc. Since that law passed in 2013 (here we call it the ‘gay propaganda law’) there have been numerous arrests and censoring of Hollywood movies like the new ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
The short film goes into depth with the 6 couples about how they got together, their struggles with family, friends, and co-workers, and their views on the current political climate. The beginning of the short is definitely a bit chilling with the juxtaposition of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations consisting of tanks and soldiers with discussions of how long the couples have been dating, but overall it’s an uplifting journey because of the bravery of all 6 couples. If you’re curious about how normal LGBTQ people live their lives in Russia this is the doc for you.
Now we shift from Russia to Israel, a country that is unique in the Middle East for being very accepting of LGBTQ people. While you can’t marry inside the country you can be married somewhere else and then Israel will recognize that marriage. You can also adopt and anti-discrimination policies have been passed. However ‘Out in the Dark‘ decides to focus on the interplay of sexuality and politics between Israel and Palestine. The movie has a great combination of sexiness, political intrigue, and thrilling action.
The movie focuses on a cute, young Palestinian named Nimer. He studies Psychology and travels to Tel Aviv for his studies. His friend Mustafa introduces him one night to a ridiculously sexy Israeli lawyer named Roy. The differences between them are numerous – wealth, privilege, and citizenship to name just a few. But as in all the great romance movies they fall in love despite everything. Unfortunately things get complicated once
Mustafa gets caught by his Palestinian friends for being queer which then suggests Nimer might be queer as well. One of the most intriguing/disturbing facts about this film is it’s portrayal of how crossing over a simple border can completely change how society views you. You can be celebrated in Israel, but killed in Palestine.
However all seriousness aside, ‘Out in the Dark‘ is a stunner of a film. It played at almost every single LGBTQ film festival and has gotten rave reviews. It’s packed full of romance and action and it’s just an awesome film. Watch it tonight!
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Watch ’em with: Your friends who have no clue what’s happening outside of Rupaul’s Drag Race.
Mix it with: Russian Vodka.
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Discover great gay stories. 