Category: International Film

A group of LGBTQ+ elders get their due in the touching documentary ‘The Coming Back Out Ball Movie’

Filmed in 2017, around the time of Australia’s divisive marriage equality vote, The Coming Back Out Ball Movie is an observational documentary that follows a group of LGBTQ+ elders. They have been invited to a ball in Melbourne to celebrate their gender and sexual identity.

Faced with the complexities of aging and isolation, these extraordinary people seize each day with determination and humor. In a world that is rapidly changing for LGBTQ communities, director Sue Thompson captures amazing and heartwarming moments – such as some of the cast experiencing acceptance and love for the very first time in their lives.

Watch the trailer for The Coming Back Out Ball Movie below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Adam Kalderon’s ‘The Swimmer’ is a sexy and provocative gay sports drama

Grab your sunscreen and get ready for a film filled with speedos, water sports, suppressed desire and so much more!

The Swimmer stars Omer Perelman Striks as Erez, a rising star in the Israeli swimming scene. He arrives at a training camp held in a boarding school where only one winning athlete will get a ticket to the Olympics. There he meets the beautiful and talented Nevo (played by Asaf Jonas), who awakens subconscious desires in him.

Unfortunately for Erez and Nevo, their coach does not believe in friendship between competitors. Warned to stay away from Nevo, Erez is far too attracted to give up completely. In between practices, he attempts to act upon his feelings and comes to believe that winning a medal is less important than winning Nevo’s heart.

A critically-acclaimed film festival hit from Israeli director Adam Kalderon, The Swimmer is a skillyfully made, relentlessly sexy and boldly provocative crowd-pleaser.

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

Now Available: BPM (Beats Per Minute)

In the early 1990s, ACT UP – in France, as well as in the United States – was on the front lines of AIDS activism, taking on sluggish government agencies and major pharmaceutical companies in bold, invasive actions.

ACT UP’s members, mostly gay, HIV-positive men, stormed offices in “Silence=Death” t-shirts, facing down complacent suits with the urgency of their own struggle for life.

With BPM (Beats Per Minute), acclaimed French director Robin Campillo (Les Revenants, Eastern Boys) takes audiences directly to the front lines, telling a deeply moving love story that doubles as a historical reenactment.

Amid rallies, protests, fierce debates and ecstatic dance parties, newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois) falls in love with Sean (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), the group’s radical firebrand. Their passion sparks against the shadow of mortality as the activists fight for a breakthrough.

Winner of the coveted Queer Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as six Cesar Awards, BPM is one of the most acclaimed gay films in recent memory. We can’t recommend it more highly.

Watch the trailer for BPM (Beats Per Minute) below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Vanilla

Discover a world where every sight and touch unfolds into the irresistible essence of Vanilla, transforming your senses and redefining reality.

From director Leo Tabosa, this short, visually stunning documentary follows the captivating journey of a Brazilian BDSM artist Vanilla.

Set in the vibrant and sensual city of Rio de Janeiro, the story delves into the world of dominance and submission as Vanilla explores her passion for this provocative art form.

As she pushes boundaries and challenges societal norms, Vanilla emerges as a trailblazer in the Brazilian BDSM community. Through her powerful and evocative performances, she redefines the meaning of intimacy, desire and eroticism – drawing in audiences from all walks of life and inspiring others to embrace their own deepest fantasies.

Watch the trailer for Vanilla below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘At Night All the Cats Are Black’ is a stylish, sexually-charged and deliberately strange cinematic exercise

At Night All the Cats Are Black, a stylishly-crafted, deeply unusual and deliberately scandalous new queer thriller, concerns a film crew is shooting a surreal and sexually-charged costume drama in the French countryside.

When Valentin, the film’s director, suddenly disappears, the local police set out to investigate. The shoot continues, but takes an odd turn as dreamlike visions portend doom for their beloved maestro and Robin, the cameraman and director’s lover, soon follows through on a mysterious promise he made to his missing partner.

If that sounds strange, you may be surprised to find that the film itself is actually stranger than described. Made without a finished script, At Night All the Cats Are Black was entirely improvised by the cast and crew and has been described by filmmakers Valentin Merz and Robin Mognetti, who plays versions of themselves, as “dreamy, impulsive, coherently illogical, shamelessly artsy and hell bent on surprising its viewers.”

However you feel about the aggressively experimental finished product, the film is packed with bold visual delights and is never afraid to push the envelope in terms of sexuality or structure.

Watch the (not safe for work) trailer for At Night All the Cats Are Black below. The film is now available to stream on Dekkoo.

Acclaimed Danish director Christian Tafdrup’s breakthrough film ‘Awakening’ is now available on Dekkoo

Danish actor and director Christian Tafdrup made a big splash on the international film scene last year with the shockingly violent thriller Speak No Evil.

Back in 2008, he took a similar aim at taboo subject matter with the 39-minute drama Awakening, which has recently been restored by the cult distribution label Altered Innocence.

Awakening stars “True Blood” alum Allan Hyde as Carsten, a sixteen-year-old boy who is taking a trip to meet his girlfriend’s parents at their summer house.

Throughout the weekend, Carsten becomes increasingly bonded with his girlfriend’s father, played by Lars Brygmann. It seems these two men share the same secret – and their time together, which involves a furtive kiss, puts their carefully-constructed relationships in major jeopardy.

Though it may sound racy, Tafdrup handles the developing friendship between two closeted men of differing ages with a great deal of sensitivity and heartfelt honesty.

Watch a clip from Awakening below. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Fire at the Lake

The short film Fire at the Lake follows Felix (Hervé Lassïnce), a French farmer who lives an isolated day-to-day with his elderly mother (Isabelle Rama). When he returns home from guarding his cows in the pasture, he’s shocked to find her lying unconscious in bed.

Before he can contact the proper authorities, Felix gets a notification from an attractive younger man (Pierre Moure) who has contacted him on a dating app. At that moment, something inside of him snaps. Instead of checking on his mother’s well-being, Felix flees, driving several miles away to meet up with the alluring stranger in person – and their encounter proves incredibly steamy despite the strange circumstances.

An Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, Fire at the Lake is baffling and captivating in equal measure. This twisted, mysterious and sexually-charged short film from writer-director Pierre Menahem that examines what happens when repressed desire is finally unleashed.

Watch a short trailer for Fire at the Lake below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.