Category: International Film

Now Available: A Queer Country

Harriet and Lisa, one of whom is gay and Jewish while the other is neither, began their journey in Israel last year.

The pair integrated themselves into the LGBTQ community in Tel Aviv and saw the difference between life there and in Jerusalem, where not long ago the Pride march had to be held indoors due to violence from the ultra orthodox community. They have since made very intimate and established relationships within the community and returned in the Summer of 2014 to continue their fascinating journey into a country which is continually diverse and complex.

Israel is a haven for the Jewish people and also, increasingly, a haven for the gay community. It’s governed by Orthodox civil law and yet it hosts the world’s biggest gay pride. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement say this is a cynical marketing ploy, not a political awakening.

Investigating these claims, A Queer Country takes us on an extraordinary journey into Israel’s bohemia and the social revolution that’s challenging the foundations of the Jewish state.

Watch the trailer for A Queer Country below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Lose Your Head

Lured by Berlin’s reputation as city with a pulsating night life, young Luis, played by Fernando Tielve, leaves his boyfriend behind to travel there – eager to indulge in drugs, sex, partying, music and mindless fun.

Somewhat innocent and certainly naïve, the wide-eyed Luis is quickly sucked into the dizzying whirlwind of the club scene where he meets up with a strange bohemian crowd, does coke and hooks up with Viktor, played by Marko Mandic, a domineering Ukrainian immigrant with his own set of hidden problems.

After he meets a couple looking for a missing man who bears a striking resemblance to him, and after Viktor becomes more menacing, Luis gives in to paranoia as a sense of deteriorating reality begins to overcome him.

A gritty gay drama, Lose Your Head is a complex, “Alice in Wonderland”-like tale of a young man methodically driven out of control.

Watch the trailer for Lose Your Head below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Provocative filmmaker Bruce LaBruce returns with the 1970s-set thriller Saint-Narcisse

The latest film from Bruce LaBruce, Canada’s reigning “King of Kink,” Saint-Narcisse follows Dominic (Félix-Antoine Duval), a young man with a fetish… for himself. Nothing turns him on more than his reflection, with much of his time spent taking Polaroid selfies.

When his loving grandmother dies, he discovers a deep family secret: his lesbian mother didn’t die in childbirth and he has a twin brother, Daniel, raised in a remote monastery by a depraved priest, held captive against his will! The power of destiny brings together the two beautiful, identical brothers, who, after being reunited with their mother Beatrice, are soon embroiled in a blasphemous web of sex, revenge and redemption.

Set in the early 1970s and the afterglow of sexual liberation, Saint-Narcisse is a love letter to the psychosexual thrillers of that era. Elegant visuals are combined with LaBruce’s notorious punk provocations in “a wild ride that’s enjoyable in all its B-movie glory while also titillating the intellect” (The Hollywood Reporter).

Watch the trailer for Saint-Narcisse below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Eastern Boys

The critically-acclaimed Eastern Boys follows the cautious relationship that develops between a single man and a much-younger sex-worker.

Arriving from all over the Eastern Bloc, the young men who frequent the Gare du Nord train station in Paris are scraping by however they can, forming gangs for support and protection and living in fear of being caught by the police and deported.

When a bourgeois, middle-aged man named Daniel (Olivier Rabourdin) approaches a boyishly handsome Ukrainian immigrant named Marek (Kirill Emelyanov), he learns the young man is willing to do anything for some cash.

When Daniel brings the young man home, it leads to an alarming and dangerous home invasion. But once the men are able to spend some time alone together, they end up forming an unexpectedly profound relationship. The drastically different circumstances of their lives ultimately reveal hidden facets of the city they share.

Presented in four parts, this absorbing, critically-acclaimed drama from director Robin Campillo (“The Returned,” BPM (Beats Per Minute)) is centered around relationships that defy easy categorization, in which motivations and desires are poorly understood – even sometimes by those to whom they belong.

Watch the trailer for Eastern Boys below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Dust

A new 40-minute short film from the Netherlands, Dust follows Alko (Henk Jan Doornbosch), an average teen boy living in the Dutch countryside.

Alko’s thoughts are occupied with girls, carbide-shooting and his changing body. While he and his best friend Björn (Liam Feikens) are struggling with their emerging sexuality, the locals begin to suspect that Alko may be gay. This troubles him so much that he makes a decision he will come to regret.

Director Joren Molter examines toxic masculinity, the expectations put on young men to conform and the coming of age process between best friends in a small rural village community. Between agricultural weekend work and partying, dealing with other adolescent boys and girls, one kiss can make a big difference. The urge to fit in, to uphold image and peer pressure forces the boys to make choices that will greatly affect their friendship.

Watch the trailer for Dust below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Two teens fall in love at a school retreat in the charming romance The Boy Foretold by the Stars

A heartwarming coming-of-age rom-com from the Philippines, The Boy Foretold by the Stars follows an openly gay teen looking for love.

Dominic Cruz (Adrian Lindayag) is an openly gay high school student from St. Francis Catholic School, an exclusive school for boys. He goes to Quiapo with one of his best friends, Timmy (John Leinard Ramos), to consult Baby R (Iyah Mina), a popular fortune teller renowned for her 99.5 percent accurate predictions regarding love.

During this visit, Baby R informs Dominic that he will meet his soul mate within a week, and gives him three signs to help him determine the identity of his match. Meanwhile, Luke Armada (Keann Johnson), a member of St. Francis’ basketball team, has just broken up with his girlfriend Karen (Rissey Reyes) and decides to participate in the “Journey of the Lord” retreat in an attempt to move on.

Dominic, who was coincidentally one of the volunteers for the retreat, is assigned as Luke’s sponsor and the two young men quickly become good friends. As the two get closer, Baby R’s three signs seem to present themselves. Is Dominic reading the signs correctly, or is it just wishful thinking?

One of the first mainstream gay romantic comedies from the Philippines, The Boy Foretold by the Stars was a crowd-pleasing hit locally, earning awards at film festivals. It’s also currently being adapted into a television series.

Watch the trailer for The Boy Foretold by the Stars below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.