International Film – Page 73 – Discover great gay stories.

A subversive gay classic comes to Dekkoo

Back in 1991, Christopher Marlowe’s notorious 16th century play was radically adapted into a gay cinema masterpiece by late, great queer auteur Derek Jarman.

Using anachronistic imagery, modern dress, gay activists battling riot police and Annie Lennox singing Cole Porter, Edward II tells the story of an openly gay British monarch and the persecution he suffered. It’s given a contemporary resonance by Jarman, paralleling the injustice of homophobia at the time.

King Edward II (Stephen Waddington) rejects his cold wife Queen Isabella (Tilda Swinton) and takes a male lover, the commoner Piers Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan) upon whom he bestows gifts and power. The King’s behavior enrages the sober, business-suited court officials and the spurned queen becomes a seething monster whose dresses and jewelry grow more outrageously lavish as her need to vengeance escalates and the plotting begins.

Edward II is a prime example of “New Queer Cinema” – the indie film movement of the early 1990s. Jarman reworked Marlowe’s play into a homoerotic, sexually charged, radically relevant work. Graphic, brutal, moving, surprisingly funny and always erotic, the film blends prose with contemporary jargon and costumes, replete with positive portrayals of queer sex, profanity and ACT- UP activists.

Brilliant, daring and innovative, Edward II showcases gay cinema at its finest. It’s not streaming on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/12/18

‘Dating My Mother’ follows the intimate and tumultuous relationship between a single mother and her gay son as they navigate the dizzying world of online dating. While they search for their versions of Mr. Right, mother and son discover that sometimes you need to be apart in order to grow together. Watch ‘Dating My Mother’ now on Dekkoo!

Using anachronistic imagery, modern dress and gay activists battling riot police the story of Britain’s only openly gay monarch and the persecution he suffered is given a contemporary resonance by queer iconoclast Derek Jarman. ‘Edward II’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

An honest genuine writer discovers the painful truth of a handsome and charming, yet manipulative and toxic love interest. Watch the gay short film ‘Narcissist’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: ”An unexcited and great drama about a late coming out. Worth seeing!” The Yorcker – Berlin

Santa came early this year with Cola De Mono

It’s Christmas Eve, 1986, and Borja (Cristóbal Rodriguez-Costabal) is a precocious teenager with a passion for film. As his extended family comes together to celebrate the holiday, the combined forces of the suffocating Chilean heat, free-flowing drinks, and repressed desire contribute to the eruption of long-held secrets.

This hypnotic story from Chilean writer-director Alberto Fuguet is both an enticing family melodrama and an explicit erotic thriller about the ways in which passion and desire can discreetly control our lives – from our pop-culture tastes to our sexual fantasies.

Cola De Mono is available now on Dekkoo. Check out the trailer below.

Kinky Boots is a modest little movie that launched an award-winning Broadway hit

Inspired by a hilarious true story, Kinky Boots is the refreshing, feel-good comedy that launched the multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.

Released in 2005, Joel Edgerton, Nick Frost and Chiwetel Ejiofor, none of whom had quite broken through to major movie stardom (but would soon).

For generations, the Price family has made very sensible, very conservative shoes for men. When young Charlie Price (Edgerton) inherits the struggling business, he turns to an unlikely new creative consultant to save the business from imminent bankruptcy: a sassy cross-dressing cabaret singer (Ejiofor), whose outrageous style and wild designs are a breath of fresh air in the stuffy old factory.

Check out the original trailer for Kinky Boots below and then strut your stuff on over to Dekkoo to watch the full film.

You’re invited to Prom Night

A gay version of John Hughes hit from the 80s? A mix of Carrie and Pretty in Pink? An examination of homophobia, school bullying and gender prejudice? A cinematic poem about young love and romantic ideals? The 24-minute short Prom Night is, surprisingly, all that and more.

The newest project from São Paulo-based filmmaker Lufe Steffen, who made a name for himself in Brazil with Sao Paulo in Hi-Fi, Prom Night blends documentary and fiction while bringing to life real stories about LGBT people and their experiences at prom.

Watch two of the film’s official teaser trailers below and visit us at Dekkoo where the film is now streaming. (Editor’s note: there are no subtitles available on these teaser videos, but the version we have made available on Dekkoo does have English subtitles).

New This Week – 9/27/18

A drag queen (Chiwetel Ejiofor) comes to the rescue of a man (Joel Edgerton) who, after inheriting his father’s shoe factory, needs to diversify his product if he wants to keep the business afloat. ‘Kinky Boots’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

In the short film ‘Prom Night’, documentary and fiction is blended seamlessly bringing to life real stories about LGBT people and their experiences at prom.

In this raw, eye-opening documentary a group of impassioned theater students come together to produce a play aimed at shedding light on the many stigmas and equality-rights issues faced by LGBT youth in the United States today. ‘Break Through’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A hypnotic story from Chile that is both an enticing family melodrama and an explicit erotic thriller.

One Great Gay Shot – ’20 Centimeters’ (2005)

With an “Almodovarian” twist and the flamboyance of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert , director Ramón Salazar’s 20 Centimeters tells the story of Marieta (Mónica Cervera) a narcoleptic, transsexual who longs to get rid of 8 inches of equipment that separates her from being the glamorous woman she dreams to be.

20 Centimeters is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

This taut Australian crime thriller takes you on a journey Downriver

A taut thriller with a brilliantly executed queer bent, Downriver will leave you breathless.

Eighteen-year old James (Reef Ireland) has just been released from juvenile detention after serving time for his involvement in the suspected drowning of a young boy in a river years earlier. Ravaged with uncertainty, dealing with an estranged family and forced to face the dead boy’s mother, James is set upon a journey of self discovery, shocking revelations and danger as questions surrounding the boy’s death brim to the surface.

Complicating matters further, James also becomes embroiled in a love triangle between himself, Anthony (Thom Green) and the vacationing Damien (Charles Grounds). Old friendships are questioned, family ties are tested and lives are put on the line as James struggles to find his path toward the truth, a path that will lead him… downriver.

Thom Green and lead actress Kerry Fox took home Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the 10th annual Iris Prize for their roles in this compelling and eerie murder mystery from first time feature filmmaker Grant Scicluna. Downriver was also an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, FilmOut San Diego and the The Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival.

Take a look at the trailer below and then skip on over to Dekkoo to watch the full film.

New This Week – 9/21/18

In this taut Australian crime thriller, 18-year-old James has been released from juvenile detention after serving time for a crime he may not have committed. His small town has not forgotten his past and reintegrating into polite society proves more difficult than he imagined. ‘Downriver’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

Dekkoo Films presents ‘Sign’, a story of a relationship between Ben, a hearing man, and Aaron, who is deaf is told through vignettes, music, and sign language.

Gay YouTube personality Oliver Potter hosts this interactive travel show where Oliver’s twitter followers send him on adventures in the cities they most want to see him visit. Hit the road with Oliver and stream #Hashtag Travel UK on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: How far would you go to save the family business?

Short Film Spotlight: Lost Years

From Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Beltran, the new short film Lost Years tells the story of a young boy, Felix (Samuel Garcia), who after the death of his mother is sent to boarding school abroad. There, he meets Leo (Jack O’Neill), his roommate and a fellow student at the school.

The two soon begin a clandestine romantic relationship. The heartwarming love affair the film promises, however, is quickly shattered. A traumatic event soon occurs in which Felix is assaulted, and his relationship with Leo comes to an end.

This powerful 21-minute film examines the repercussions that sexual abuse can have in young people and the impact such violations have on their lives and the lives of those around them.

Lost Years is streaming now on Dekkoo. Check out the trailer below.