Don’t miss Australian filmmaker Craig Boreham’s sizzling new gay romance ‘Lonesome’

From Craig Boreham, the acclaimed Australian filmmaker behind Teenage Kicks, comes a sexually-charged new romance about a young cowboy who falls in love with the big city… and the man he meets there.

Lonesome follows Casey (Josh Lavery), a handsome young country boy who is running away from a small-town scandal. While trying to rebuild his life amid the hustle and bustle of Sydney, Australia, he meets Tib (Daniel Gabriel), a street-smart city boy struggling with his own scars of isolation.

While palpable desire and undeniable chemistry define their early interactions, the young men soon find something that’s been missing in their connection with one another – and that sudden rush of intimacy both excites and terrifies them.

Featuring exceptional performances by lead actors Lavery and Gabriel, Lonesome is a gorgeous and thoughtful gay drama, exploring casual sexuality, affection, loneliness and the distinct feeling of isolation in a world that has, technically, never been more connected.

Boreham has created a powder-keg of a would-be romance that doubles as a sensuous portrait of reconciliation and redemption.

Watch the trailer for Lonesome below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo. You can also watch Craig Boreham’s Teenage Kicks, which is available now.

‘Wild Awakening’ is a deliciously campy erotic thriller about forbidden gay cowboy love

A deliciously erotic story of forbidden love from Spanish first-time director Joan Fermí Martí, Wild Awakening is equal parts family drama and campy gay soap opera.

The film stars Júlia Hernández as Emma and Fabián Castro as her gay brother Toni. Having inherited a business after the death of their parents, the siblings find themselves the unusually young proprietors of a horse ranch and riding school.

The land is populated almost entirely by buff, shirtless and extremely handsome male employees – all of whom are led by a homophobic taskmaster named Ramon (Richie Ormon). When both Emma and Toni start to develop feelings for Ramon’s son, Aaron (Christian Blanch), an unbelievably hunky Adonis, it sets the film’s conflict into motion.

Emma isn’t going to be pleased if Aaron turns out to be more interested in her brother. Equally concerned is the bigoted Ramon, who certainly doesn’t want to accept that his son may be gay.

Toni, known for having a promiscuous gay sex life, has a history of running away whenever things get too serious with a boyfriend. With Aaron, however, he may have finally found someone worth sticking around for.

Packed with some of the hottest Spanish men you’ll ever lay eyes on and dripping with sensuality, Wild Awakening is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Watch the trailer for Wild Awakening below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Leap Weekend

14-year-old David (Matías Álvarez) is spending summer vacation with his cousin Pamela (Camila Oliva) at her remote home in Chile. In the middle of an oppressive heatwave, her boyfriend Javier (David Vargas) arrives for an extended visit.

In David’s eyes, Javier is the epitome of cool. He quickly becomes something of an older brother figure for the shy and reserved teen – offering him his first sip of beer and even taking him out for driving lessons.

David soon becomes infatuated with the older man, stealing his used gum and taking an extra special interest in the clothes he leaves behind in the bathroom. As the heatwave intensifies, so does David’s desire for Javier – which leads to some less-than-wise decisions.

Featuring beautiful black and white cinematography, writer-director Daniel Rivera’s Leap Weekend has a timeless and deeply personal quality, perfectly capturing the intense rush of one young man’s first serious crush.

Watch a short clip from Leap Weekend below. This gorgeous 19-minute film is streaming now on Dekkoo.

Two men’s marriage plans cause a media firestorm in the romantic drama ‘Mysterious Ways’

From Paul Oremland, the New Zealand-based filmmaker behind 100 Men, Surveillance 24/7 and Like It Is, Mysterious Ways tells the powerful and courageous story of two men who become torn between their faith, their families and their love for one another.

Anglican priest Peter (played by British actor Richard Short, from The Tragedy of Macbeth and the Canadian TV series ‘Mary Kills People’) and boyfriend Jason (played by newcomer Nick Afoa) want to get married.

For Anglicans, this is not allowed – and homosexuality itself is still taboo in Samoan culture. Samoan-Kiwi Jason has to deal with his family’s strict cultural beliefs while Peter clashes with the Anglican Church hierarchy.

When news of their marriage plans make headlines, it scandalizes the devout local community and unleashes a media storm that pushes the couple’s relationship to the limit.

A searing critique of the church’s attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community, Mysterious Ways is an impassioned and moving drama.

In the words of director Oremland, “Most religions still see being gay as sinful. This does huge harm to millions of people in terms of self-esteem, family rejection and legitimizing hatred. A love story where God is on our side is a powerful statement that is needed now more than ever.”

Watch the trailer for Mysterious Ways below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A gay playboy tries to stop his best friend’s wedding in the adorable rom-com ‘John Apple Jack’

A charming gay indie rom-com from director Monika Mitchell, John Apple Jack follows John and Jack (Chris McNally and Kent S. Leung). As kids, they were best friends. Twenty years later, they’ve grown apart and now barely recognize each other.

A handsome gay man and heir to a restaurant empire, John lives with extravagance, bedding nearly every hot guy in town. But when he learns that his sister Vivienne is about to marry his childhood crush Jack, repressed passions ignite and he comes to believe that the wedding must be stopped.

Years of mounting tensions culminate into an over-heated argument in the kitchen. The spoiled, promiscuous John was once easy for Jack to ignore. But the newer, penniless, more soulful version might just prove too hard to kick to the curb.

Before the fresh, bountiful ingredients rot away in a glamorous but empty kitchen, the challenge for both John and Jack is to find a way to blend money, sex, love and family into one sumptuous recipe for life.

Lead actors McNally and Leung do an amazing job selling their romantic and sexual chemistry in this funny, sexy, uplifting and positively adorable gay romantic comedy.

Watch the trailer for John Apple Jack below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Life In Love with Nick and Kaiden

Meet new couple Nick and Kaiden. They’re navigating an unconventional work life and the politics of London’s queer community, as well as their blossoming partnership. Will their relationship, first built on sexual desire and lust, turn into the year’s sweetest love story?

Love should be a safe space, and Nick and Kaiden have spent the first few weeks of their relationship crafting that intimate, personal enclave. Shaving one another’s butts, talking about the complexities of sex work, and clubbing at queer parties in Leeds – it’s all there.

As we find out, their tentative first steps together reflect how important it is to stay raw and playful with each other.

Filmed as part of a docudrama series exploring Gen Z’s relationships, trysts and every encounter in between, Life in Love with Nick and Kaiden has been released as a stand-alone short film offering a glimpse into the most intimate moments of one young couple’s blossoming love affair.

Watch the trailer for Life in Love with Nick and Kaiden below. The short documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Bed-hopping shenanigans ensue in the racy Belgian drama ‘Even Lovers Get the Blues’

A contemporary pansexual drama from director Laurent Micheli – that can best be described as the darker, equally sexy Belgian version of John Cameron Mitchell’s ShortbusEven Lovers Get the Blues follows a group of close, sexually-liberated friends who are coming to grips with a tragedy.

Ana (Marie Denys) is sleeping with Hugo (Gaël Maleux), Dalhia (Adriana da Fonseca) with Graciano (Gabriel Da Costa), Leo (Séverine Porzio) with Louis (Arnaud Bronsart), and Arthur (Tristan Schotte) with just about anyone who will have him.

All of the wild parties and one-night-stands satisfy their individual desires to live life to the fullest… until one of them passes away quite unexpectedly.

In the cold light of day, each member of this tight-knit group begins questioning the path they find themselves on.

Featuring a ton of nudity and some truly explicit sex scenes, Even Lovers Get the Blues is an effortlessly cool, adults-only exploration of the romantic and sexual lives of a group of fascinating young lovers.

Watch the trailer for Even Lovers Get the Blues below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.