International Film – Page 65 – Discover great gay stories.

Now Available: The Cult

Brazilian writer-director André Antônio’s unusual first feature-length film reveals him as a unique talent. The Cult premiered at the Rio International Film Festival and was awarded at Mix Brasil. It also recently had its European Premiere at the Göteborg International Film Festival.

Set in the year 2040, the film sees the city of Recife, in Brazil, deserted and in ruins. It was abandoned by the wealthy, who migrated to space colonies. The son of one of these rich families, bored in his new address, decides to return. In Recife, he redecorates his old house and spends his time reading, walking and getting involved with various men. Gradually, however, he perceives strange signs in the streets and discovers the existence of a secret cult.

André Antônio. Born 1988 in Recife himself, worked as an editor in several Brazilian films before founding, in 2012 and along with filmmakers Chico Lacerda, Fábio Ramalho and Rodrigo Almeida, the independent cinema collective Surto & Deslumbramento. In this collective, he directed two short films, Mama and Canto de Outono. André is also a researcher at Rio de Janeiro Federal University in the topics Cinema and Artifice.

You can watch the trailer for The Cult below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 9/6/19

In the cloistered world of competitive surf-lifesaving, an Australian hero is de-throned as the reigning champion by a younger, gay competitor. He embarks on a campaign of intimidation and bullying against the newcomer but is forced to confront his own repressed homoerotic desire. ‘Drown’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo.

We’ve added four new episodes of Bad Boy!

Scott, a mild-mannered gay writer in Los Angeles, gets wrapped up into a world of bad boys and their crime-filled past after being adopted as their “Daddy Scott”, whether he likes it or not.

Two college students fall in love one year before graduation and have bright futures ahead until one of them develops schizophrenia. ‘A Nice Quiet Life’ is available to stream now!

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Coming next week: An intimate journey into the surreptitious world of conversion therapy.

New This Week – 8/30/19

A timid 18-year-old living with his financially-struggling immigrant parents, chances upon a secret cruising spot when he takes a job at an all-male spa. There he begins to realize hidden desires that threaten his life as a dutiful son and student. ‘Spa Night’ is available to stream on Dekkoo!

‘But She’s My Best Friend’ is a gay comedy series about two gay best friends, Christian and Joey, and their lives in West Hollywood as they try to find a happy medium between being an adult and being a mess. Season 2 of this hilarious series is available now on Dekkoo!

It is the year 2040, Earth has been abandoned by the wealthy, who have migrated to space colonies. Bored, a rich young man decides to return home. Gradually, he perceives strange signs in the streets and discovers the existence of a secret cult. Stream ‘The Cult’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Violence, jealousy, desire and what it takes to hide what you are.

New This Week – 8/23/19

Dekkoo Films presents the shocking and sexually explicit documentary ‘Mr. Leather’. Embrace your deepest and darkest desires. Take a front-row seat as five individual contestants vie for full leather dominance! The winner will be crowned the first official Mr. Leather of Brazil.

Sun is a young man who attends a sex party, organised via a dating app, with four other men. While the others seem to be enjoying themselves enormously, Sun finds himself unaroused, despite the others’ best efforts turn him on. ‘Sodom’s Cat’ is available to stream now!

‘Child of the ’70’s’ is the story of gay Italian-American Carlo Perdente who ends up working as a personal assistant to his 1970’s TV idol, the neurotic and over-the-top KiKi Lawrence. Season 5 is available now to binge on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A profoundly moving drama about a young man torn between the expectations of his family and his own burgeoning desires. Coming next week:

Cinema Spotlight: In the Grayscale

When architect Bruno (hot Chilean TV star Francisco Celhay) finds himself passionately drawn to Santiago tour guide, Fernando (Emilio Edwards) he faces challenging decisions about his identity – and his relationship with his wife and young son.

Hired to design a civic landmark for the Chilean capitol city, Bruno struggles with the commission. His uncertainty about how to proceed professionally is paralleled by his personal grappling.

Offering no easy answers, this tenderly told tale of sexual discovery has earned comparisons to Andrew Haigh’s Weekend for its beautifully realized portrayal of two men in love. Variety called In the Grayscale “A measured, tenderly played study of imprecise sexual identity.” The San Francisco Chronicle called it a “wonderfully complex character study.” The film also won the Jury Award for Best First Feature at the Frameline San Francisco LGBT Film Festival and the Ibero-American Debut Award at the Miami International Film Festival.

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

Now Available: The Blue Hour

“The Blue Hour” can mean the time between day and night, a realm between dream and reality, or a point between good and evil. Based on a true story, The Blue Hour from director Anucha Boonyawatana is all about the relationship between a boy, who is pressured by his family, and a mysterious young man who will lead him into horrifying situations.

A sexy supernatural love story about a bullied loner, Tam (Attapun Poonsawad), who finds solace in the arms of Phum (Oabnithi Wiwattanawarang), a boy he meets at a haunted swimming pool. Phum reveals that his family’s land has been stolen and the new found lovers imagine a perfect life together on the disputed land. Haunted by a ghostly presence, Tam struggles to stay connected to reality.

An official selection of the Berlin International Film Festival, The Blue Hour is a dark atmospheric tale of love and distress.

Born in Nakhon Phanom, a North-Eastern Province of Thailand, in 1981, Anucha Boonyawatana is a Thai independent film director and also founder of G-Motif Production, one of the largest video production company in Thailand. His thesis film “Down the River”, combination of Buddhist philosophy and Thai art and a love story of a gay couple, won Young Thai Artist Award and has been shown at several film festivals. He collaborated with TUC, Thai-American Public Health Agency (under the US government) and UNESCO to direct the online movie “Love Audition1, 2” aim to promote health and relationships among Thai gay teenagers. In 2012, his short film “Erotic Fragments No.1, 2, 3” was screened in competition at Berlinale Shorts of the 62th Berlin International Film Festival. The Blue Hour is his first feature film.

Check out the trailer for The Blue Hour below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 8/16/19

‘The Blue Hour’ is a sexy supernatural love story about a bullied loner, Tam, who finds solace in the arms of Phum, a boy he meets at a haunted swimming pool. Stream it now on Dekkoo!

This documentary chronicles the life and crimes of former gay porn star Luka Magnotta who was convicted of killing and dismembering a man and posting the video online. ‘Sex, Fame and Murder: The Luka Magnotta Story’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

This edgy drama follows 19-year-old Ari, a gay Greek-Australian whose roiling ethnic- and sexual-identity struggles lead to a wild, 24-hour odyssey. Watch ‘Head On’ on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week:

Breaking up is hard work in 45 Days Away from You

After a recent breakup with “a man who shall not be named,” young bachelor Rafael (Rafael de Bona) finds his romantic life spinning out of control. With a change of scenery in order, he sets out on journey of self-discovery – an adventure that will take him from Brazil to England, Portugal and Argentina.

Along the way, he seeks the counsel of his nearest and dearest friends. There’s Julia (Julia Corrêa), an amorous single actress trying to land her breakthrough role; Fabio (Fábio Lucindo), Rafael’s straight-boy buddy, who is trying to maintain a long-distance relationship; and Mayara (Mayara Constantino), a dear friend who gave up a promising career in favor of marriage.

Over the course of his 45-day trip, Rafael grows closer to the people in his life who really matter and learns that all it takes to mend a broken heart is time… and the support of a few good friends.

Check out the trailer for 45 Days Away from You below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 8/9/19

Following a recent break up Rafael sets off on a globe-trotting adventure. Along the way, he learns that all it takes to mend a broken heart is time…and some good friends. ’45 Days Away From You’ is a smart, funny, and sexy globe-trotting (and bed-hopping) romantic drama.

Four unique friends, all only children, rely on each other as a chosen family to get through the everyday ups and downs of adulthood. Watch all episodes of ‘Only Children’ now on Dekkoo!

Harry, a young Chinese man, travels to America in an attempt to reunite with his first lover, Sam, in hopes to relive the love and intimacy they once shared. Watch ‘Goodbye, My Big Cat’ on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A bullied loner finds solace in another boy’s arms when they meet at a haunted swimming pool.

Acclaimed author Abdellah Taïa adapts his own semi-autobiography Salvation Army

Described by Interview Magazine as a “literary transgressor and cultural paragon,” Abdellah Taïa became the first openly gay Arab writer in 2006 and remains once of the only openly homosexual Moroccan writers or filmmakers. Since his coming-out, he has become an iconic figure throughout the Arab world, and a beacon of hope in a country where homosexuality is still illegal. His 2013 film Salvation Army, now available on Dekkoo, is widely considered to have given Arab cinema its first gay protagonist.

Adapted from his own novel, itself based on his own coming-of-age, Taïa’s story concerns Abdellah (played by Said Mrini as a teen and Karim Ait M’Hand as an adult), a young gay man navigating the sexual, racial and political climate of Morocco.

Growing up in a large family in a working-class neighborhood, Abdellah is caught between a distant father, an authoritarian mother, an older brother whom he adores and a handful of predatory older men all too happy to take advantage of his sexual confusion in a society that denies his homosexuality.

As a college student, Abdellah moves to Geneva and while faced with the new possibilities of freedom, he grapples with the loss of his homeland. Both chapters in this character’s life inform one another in powerful and moving ways.

You can watch the trailer for Salvation Army below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.