Short Film Spotlight: Two Men by the Sea

After leaving Brazil, Cesar (played by writer-director Gabriel Motta) meets Martin (Mauri Liiv) at an empty café in Tallinn, Estonia. Cesar is just killing some time before his train departs. He wasn’t expecting to meet someone. And though their connection is brief, it’s hard to deny that both of them want to keep the conversation going.

Channeling beloved films like Andrew Haigh’s Weekend and Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy, Two Men by the Sea is a deeply charming new 16-minute short film drama from writer-director-star Gabriel Motta which examines that brief spark of attraction that keeps us coming back for more. In front of these two attractive young men lies an uncertainty as infinite as the sea itself.

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

Now Available: Tucked

A tender LGBTQ drama, Tucked follows an 80-year-old drag queen who forms and unusually deep relationship with a much younger up-and-coming performer. Though the two come from different backgrounds and have wildly different day-to-day experiences both struggle with their own issues of gender identity and mortality – and find comfort, support and much to learn in one another.

Set in Brighton, Tucked is a classic British ‘slice of life’ story that pays homage to celebrated works like Kinky Boots and The Dresser. A story about love, loss and friendship with a great charm and sense of humor, the film earned rave reviews from critics all around the world and spotlights two fantastic performances from lead actors Derren Nesbitt and Jordan Stephens.

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

Workplace paranoia gets out of control in the short horror comedy The Office is Mine

A short dark comedy about workplace horror, writer-director Michael Varrati’s The Office is Mine tells a 13-minute story about the competitive nature in all of us.

Despite the corporate monotony of his job, Zac (Ben Baur) feels like he’s got it all figured out. As “the only gay in the office,” his penchant for hot gossip and in-the-know recommendations have assured his place as the most fabulous employee in an otherwise dull landscape… or so he thinks.

With the arrival of a new hire, the ultra-chic Tristan (Chris Salvatore), Zac suddenly feels like the very thing that makes him stand out is in jeopardy. What’s more, Zac finds himself increasingly convinced that Tristan is intentionally trying to replace him.

Though Owen (Navaris Darson), his loving boyfriend, assures him that all is fine, Zac can’t help but slip further into a world of paranoia and self-doubt. As Zac’s world begins to unravel, it sets him on a collision course with Tristan… who may or may not be all that he seems.

As the two men propel toward a violent and unpredictable confrontation, only one thing is certain: The office isn’t big enough for the both of them!

Watch a special Q&A with director Michael Varrati and actors Ben Baur and Chris Salvatore from the Frameline Film Festival below. The Office is Mine is available now on Dekkoo.

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood examines scandalous show-biz history

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is the deliciously scandalous story of Scotty Bowers, a handsome ex-Marine who landed in Hollywood after World War II and became confidante, aide-de-camp and lover to many of Hollywood’s greatest male and female stars.

In the 1940s and ‘50s, Scotty ran a gas station in the shadow of the studio lots – where he would connect his friends with actors and actresses who had to hide their true sexual identities for fear of police raids at gay bars, societal shunning and career suicide.

An unsung Hollywood legend, Bowers would cater to the sexual appetites of celebrities—straight and gay–for decades. While the studio PR machines were promoting their stars as wholesome and monogamous, Bowers was fulfilling the true desires of many of them.

This cinéma-vérité documentary by director Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor) tells his story, as well as presents eye-opening takes on icons from the Hollywood Golden Age including Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner and many more.

Watch the trailer for Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 11/5/21

After learning he has only six weeks to live, all veteran drag queen Jackie Collins wants to do is perform his long-running act and behave as if everything is normal. But between a new friendship with a rising young queen and some unfinished business with his estranged daughter, he’s about to have the most eventful month and a half of his life. ‘Tucked’ is available now on Dekkoo!

After leaving Brazil, Cesar meets Martin at an empty café in Tallinn, Estonia. In front of these two attractive young men lies an uncertainty as infinite as the sea itself. A charming new short film drama from writer-director-star Gabriel Motta. Watch ‘Two Men By The Sea’ on Dekkoo!

A deliciously scandalous documentary about unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose controversial bestselling memoir portrayed him as a sexual liaison to the biggest movie stars of the 1940s and ‘50s – including Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner and more. Stream ‘Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: An unapologetically homoerotic study of a profound male friendship.

12 LGBTQ shorts come together in the astounding animation collection Colour Me Queer

Since its origins, animation has thrived as one of cinema’s most beloved formats to tell stories – and this exciting new collection from MIYU distribution is no different.

Through the eyes of award-winning directors, Colour Me Queer explores issues of sexuality, love, and acceptance in a number of thrilling, imaginative styles.

Below we have a short synopsis for each of the 12 films featured in this astounding new collection. Colour Me Queer is available now on Dekkoo.

Tom has a Plant
Tom is living in a world where he doesn’t feel that he belongs, torn between staying or searching for a better place. On his last day, Tom decides to give all of his plants away to the ones he loves, without knowing that they already have a secret plan for him.

I Wait for the Night
A discussion between two boys on the shores of an abandoned lake will force one of them to face his inner demons.

Holy Nuns
Sucked into a whirlwind of improbable events, two eccentric nuns end up sliding down the slippery slope to sin.

Shudo
Two samurais face one another on a battlefield ravaged by war. Absorbed by their pride, they clash in a duel fuelled by deep emotions.

Modern Man
Frida is an old housewife. Her anger rises when she observes her spoiled and pampered husband being indoctrinated by a sexist rap clip.

Tentatrice
During the Roaring Twenties of Chicago, Myrtille is desperately attracted to the the Cabaret’s Singer. One night, the power of a peculiar perfume gives her a chance to step out of the shadows.

Bacchus
Alex, a young woman bored with modern life, is lured by Bacchus into a colorful and mysterious world to explore her deepest desires.

Chapped Lips
In a kitchen, a mother and a child struggle to establish dialogue.

She
In her room, a little girl is unhappy. Sitting on her bed on which is placed a doll, she looks at it with annoyance then catches and throws. This model little girl’s room is not in her image.

Animals
Find out what happens when people stuck on a train stop being anti-social and impolite and start getting real.

Ama
1950: On the coast of Japan, an American woman is visiting a village with her military husband and a group of friends. Breaking away from the group, she meets with Namiko, a young ama fisherwoman.

Make a Stand
Two young women are about to receive the greatest honour : be sacrified to their gods. But the sacrifice doesn’t go as expected.

Of Aska
Two women live happily together, one starts to transform, disturbing their usual dynamic. The one left unchanged has to decide how far their love goes.

The wild Icelandic horror-comedy Thirst comes to Dekkoo for Halloween!

The wild new Icelandic horror-comedy Thirst has already earned an enthusiastic cult audience internationally, as well as rave reviews from genre-savvy critics.

Directed by Gaukur Úlfarsson and Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, the film takes place in a small town where evil is lurking around and strange crimes and brutality frequently occur.

Drug addict Hulda (Hulda Lind Kristinsdóttir) is suspected of having something to do with her brother’s death and is being investigated by the police. After being released due to insufficient evidence, she crosses paths with Hjörtur (Hjörtur Sævar Steinason), a lonely, old gay vampire who helps her bring her brother back to life.

This brings unforeseen consequences, in addition to their ongoing battle with a bunch of televangelists who want them dead.

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

A fascinating fluid life is chronicled in the documentary Electroboy

Jimmy Cliff once sang “You can get it if you really want.” If this sentence applies to anyone, then it most definitely applies to model, snowboard pioneer, advertising whiz, author, party organizer and composer Florian Burkhardt, who managed to talk everyone around him out of their own goals and into achieving his own.

A documentary by Swiss filmmaker Marcel Gisler (Mario, Fogi is a Bastard), Electroboy tells the breathtaking true life story of a young man who leaves his claustrophobic Swiss surroundings for the wide world in search of fame and recognition.

In a series of success stories he reinvents himself time and again, changing settings and careers like other people change their shirts. Yet Florian’s life on the fast track turns into an escape from his own biography, which finally catches up with him at full force.

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

Now Available: From Afar

Winner of the Golden Lion Award (the “Best Film” award, essentially) at Venice Film Festival, Alfredo Castro (The Club, The Prince) stars in this gripping and complex drama from Venezuela.

Wealthy, middle-aged Armando (Castro) lures young men to his home with money. He doesn’t want to touch them – or to be touched. He simply wants to watch from a strict distance. Armando’s first encounter with a young street thug named Elder (played by newcomer Luis Silva) is violent, but this doesn’t discourage the lonely man’s fascination with the tough handsome teenager.

Financial interest keeps Elder visiting Armando regularly. Despite their taboo arrangement, an unexpected intimacy begins to emerge between the two mismatched men. However, Armando’s haunted past looms large, and Elder soon ends up committing the ultimate act of affection on Armando’s behalf.

From Afar is available now on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

Short Film Spotlight: I Am Norman

The new 18-minute short film I Am Norman opens with a warning. “You may find the following scenes upsetting, but that doesn’t always mean you should turn away.” The film then follows a man, a conversion therapy survivor living in his car, who takes a filmmaker into the woods to share a dark and disturbing secret.

From director/star Arron Blake and co-director Darius Shu, I Am Norman was filmed over three days during lockdown. The filmmakers challenged themselves to create a visually beautiful short with provocative storytelling using only a two-man crew.

Featuring an exceptional lead performance from Blake, the film has earned rave reviews from critics. Voice Magazine called the film “silently masterful,” Film Threat called it a “refined piece of work,” and Culture Fix called it, rightfully, “unsettling.”

Watch the trailer for I Am Norman below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.