Category: Gay Film

A straight couple find their new home haunted in the short horror-comedy Poltergays

From Lonely Spectre Productions and the mind of writer and producer Brendan Haley, the new Dekkoo Original short film Poltergays takes the format of more recent horror hits like The Conjuring, Insidious, Sinister and Paranormal Activity to turn homophobia on its head.

When Perry and Tiff Myers (Peter Stickles and Clarke Wolfe), a woefully basic, bible “humping” straight couple, move into their new West Hollywood home, they don’t expect to be sharing it with Tanner and Derek (Charles Chudabala and Francisco Chacin), a fun young gay couple who are quickly assumed to be malevolent specters from the hellish great beyond.

While each party sifts through their memories of the event for a documentary crew from a TV show called “Spectral Stories,” the true story of what happened in this house of queer horrors starts coming into focus. Maybe Perry and Tiff are the more evil of the two couples after all.

Mocking homophobic culture’s labeling of the queer community as unholy, director Andrew J. Ceperley uses a stylish horror movie setting to point out such absurdity and ignorance. It’s also completely hilarious, featuring terrific deadpan comic performances all around.

Poltergays is now available to stream, exclusively on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss the acclaimed, decades-spanning French miniseries Proud

In 1981, it was still illegal to be gay in France. Today, same-sex marriage is recognized and has paved the way for legalizing the adoption of children by LGBTQ families.

With stories set in 1981, 1999 and 2013, the epic, critically-acclaimed three-part French miniseries Proud tells the story of Charles (Frédéric Pierrot), Victor (Samuel Theis) and Diego (Julien Lopez), three generations of people from the same family who represent the seismic social changes that took place in just three decades.

Created by Philippe Faucon, the award-winning director of Fatima (the 2016 Cesar winner for Best Film), this episodic cinematic event is a chronology of tolerance and a portrait of one family through changing times.

Watch the trailer for Proud below. All three episodes are available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/30/20

While grieving the loss of his partner, Eliot decides to conspire with dark forces. He unknowingly unleashes a mysterious evil that connects him to a stranger. Stream the first season of ‘Soul Mate’ now, exclusively on Dekkoo!

When bible humpers Perry and Tiff Myers endeavor to out their friendly gay roommates, Tanner and Derek, as malevolent specters from the hellish great beyond, it is Perry and Tiff that might just be revealed as hauntingly homophobic instead. Dekkoo Films presents ‘Poltergays’.

Pressured to satisfy his girlfriend’s desires, an anxious young man begins to struggle with both his sexuality and his sanity after meeting the insidious new boy who has moved into his childhood home. ‘Rapture In Blue’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Still reeling from a recent break-up, Jamie, a cabaret singer, decides to angrily shut out the rest of the world and start living only for himself. When he meets Ben, the lonely younger poet who lives next door, the two embark on a tentative romance that may end up healing both of their hardened souls. Watch ‘Getting It’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week – The past is hard to forgive.

Short Film Spotlight: My Loneliness is Killing Me

Proudly colorful femme Elliott (Luke Elliott) always appears to be the life of the party. But behind the make-up, he struggles in his search for sexual intimacy. When he manages to lure the animalistic Jack (Jamie Robson) back to his apartment for a late-night hook-up, he unexpectedly unearths a dark emotional connection.

Touching on the hot topics of hook-up culture and toxic masculinity, My Loneliness is Killing Me explores loneliness and division among gay and queer communities against a cold, neon metropolis.

Written by Michael Lee Richardson and directed by Tim Courtney, both Glasgow natives, My Loneliness is Killing Me is a dark, 17-minute short film that should connect with anyone afraid of living or dying without intimacy.

“What drew me to the project were the characters and the story’s commentary on modern issues,” said director Courtney.

“We have a character in Jack, who is openly gay, married and so ‘masculine’ he is almost homophobic. He’s a walking contradiction, a byproduct of toxic masculinity. He is someone who has married out of status and social obligation, and not necessarily for love. Elliott, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. Someone who embraces his ‘Queer’ identity. However, he is a victim to the new breed of homosexual men like Jack. Someone who feels left behind by his community in a world where being feminine is deemed ugly and unworthy.”

“Both men appeal to my obsession for complex characters who are dealing with their own differing experiences of loneliness, in their own conflicting ways.”

Watch a short trailer for My Loneliness is Killing Me below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

And Then We Danced is one of the year’s most powerful films

A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, And Then We Danced follows Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary (Ana Javakishvili) for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble.

The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) – gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak – throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause him to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships with Mary and his family.

Met with great hostility locally when it debuted in Georgian theaters, And Then We Danced is a bold, unforgettable romance featuring truly stunning dance sequences. The film was in the middle of its theatrical run in the United States earlier this year when national theaters began closing as a response to COVID-19. We’re happy audiences will have a chance to catch up with it now. It’s easily one of 2020’s most powerful films.

Watch the trailer for And Then We Danced below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/23/20

In 1981, love was forbidden. In 1999, starting a family seemed impossible. By 2013, everything had changed. From Philippe Faucon, the award-winning director of Fatima, this amazing new three-part cinematic event takes us through each of these years. ‘Proud’ tells the stories of Charles, Victor and Diego, three generations of the same family who represent the seismic social changes that took place in just three decades. ‘Proud’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

One morning it is over. For Hampus it is a relief to break up from their destructive relationship, while Adrian is devastated. Will he be able to survive without the love of his life, or is there a way of somehow getting him back? ‘Are We Lost Forever’ is available exclusively on Dekkoo!

Friends Adam and Luke are the life of the party. When they decide that Luke should host a party at his house, what was meant to be a night of fun without responsibilities turns out to be a nightmare for Adam. Stream ’46’ now on Dekkoo!

After a shocking election puts a bigot into the Vice Presidency, Ethan must grapple with his fear of the future for the LGBT community and decide how far he’s willing to go to fight it. ‘Snowflake’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: The new Dekkoo-original series ‘Soul Mate’ debuts.

Short Film Spotlight: His Hands

Written, directed and created by actor Arron Blake and cinematographer Darius Shu, the visionary and visually immersive new psychological thriller His Hands is now available on Dekkoo to satisfy your Halloween viewing needs.

A silent film about two men of different ages (newcomer Philip Brisebois and director Arron Blake himself) meeting for the strangest encounter of their lives, His Hands earned major critical acclaim when it screened at the Tribecca Film Festival.

Watch a short trailer for His Hands below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Two men embark on a revelatory road trip in Drive Me Home

When Antonio (Vinicio Marchioni) and Agostino (Marco D’Amore) were growing up together in a small town in Sicily, they each dreamt of living completely different lives… somewhere else. Now thirty-year-olds, their initial dreams have somewhat come true. They both live abroad, but they lost touch many years ago.

When Antonio discovers that the house he grew up in, which had been empty for a long time, is about to be sold at auction, he decides to start revisiting some of his past and reconnects with his childhood friend in the process. When Antonio and Agostino come back together, they find that their lives have changed a lot. Soon, during a road trip through Europe to reclaim the childhood property in question, old conflicts and new revelations rise to the surface, bringing them close together once again.

From writer-director Simone Catania and co-writer Fabio Natale, Drive Me Home tells a generational story about finding a place called home… wherever you are. It’s also a refreshing story about straight-gay male friendship not often seen.

Watch the trailer for Drive Me Home below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/16/20

A passionate coming-of-age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, the film follows Merab, a competitive dancer who is thrown off balance by the arrival of Irakli, a fellow male dancer with a rebellious streak. ‘And Then We Danced’ is available to stream on Dekkoo!

When Elliott lures the animalistic Jack to his apartment for a late night hook up, he unexpectedly unearths a dark emotional connection. Stream ‘My Loneliness Is Killing Me’ now on Dekkoo!

‘Moments of Awakening’ follows Paolo as he makes peace with his past relationships with Sherwin and Sandino. It is also the story of a people whose lives are endangered by the fascist Duterte regime, and the events that lead to their awakening and empowerment. Watch ‘Moments of Awakening’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: “One of the most exciting series of the year.” – Cahiers du Cinema

Short Film Spotlight: LiME

Donta Storey is a black, non-binary, prolific, and powerful voice and emerging actor, writer, producer, and director from Compton, California. In 2020 they released their writer/directorial debut film LiME, which is loosely based on their struggles while growing up black and “different”.

Set in the urban jungle of Compton in the early 2000s, LiME tells the story of Deshawn (played by Urian Mchugh), a young man who discovers how hard it is to walk and live in your truth after he experiences the bitterness of the real world.

LiME was the recipient of Honorable Mention at the San Francisco Black Film Festival in 2019 and screened in cities like Chicago, Il, San Diego, Ca, Denton, Tx, New Orleans, La, and Washington, DC before ending its successful festival run at the Los Angeles Ca OUTFEST Fusion Film Festival in March 2020. Their film has also been reviewed and referenced everywhere from Film Threat, AIPT Comics, Queerty and Willamette Week.

As a nonbinary black queer human, Donta wants to tell stories that start conversations that add to the narrative that we all matter. Through storytelling, they believe they can change the world.

You can watch a short trailer for LiME below. The film is now available to stream on Dekkoo.