Category: New This Week

Short Film Spotlight: Mankind

Beginning with a quote from Carl Sagan, writer-director Layke Anderson’s new short film Mankind is an intimate relationship drama with bigger themes on its mind.

Will and Evan (Ricky Nixon and Alexis Gregory) have been in a committed relationship. It all comes crumbling down however, when Evan sneaks his way into Will’s emails. He discovers that Will has entered and been selected for a potentially dangerous space mission aiming to test the possibilities of colonizing Mars. Not only does Even learn that Will might be leaving him, he learns that Will may be leaving the entire planet behind.

What plays out throughout the thirteen-minute runtime of this heady short is a simple conversation in which two men with vastly different opinions about life and the future try to find some kind of common ground. Anderson splices in shots of their love life, their sexual escapades and vast footage of the cosmos to contrast and expand on his themes. At different points throughout Mankind, Will and Evan could be talking about their relationship, or humanity in general.

Watch the trailer for Mankind below. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: From Zero to I Love You

In the crowd-pleasing new romantic drama From Zero to I Love You, Noah’s Arc and Boy Culture-star Darryl Stephens plays Pete, a gay man who has played the field for years, avoiding commitment by hooking up with exclusively with married men. Enter handsome model Jack (Scott Bailey of Guiding Light and Prayers for Bobby) who is fifteen years into a seemingly perfect marriage with an enviable wife and two kids.

When Jack and Pete hook up, both assume it’s going to be a one-time-only thing. But an overwhelming desire for a return tryst leads to more down-low action. Suddenly Pete begins to realize that in addition to the incredible sex, he is developing very strong feelings for this new married man. Is it possible that the commitment-phobic Pete and Jack, his supposedly straight lover who has a lot of baggage, will find a future together?

The off the charts chemistry between the two leads adds authenticity to this deeply satisfying obstacle-filled romance. Written and directed by Doug Spearman, the same filmmaker behind the hit 2013 gay action-comedy Hot Guys with Guns, From Zero to I Love You has been a massive hit at film festivals all around the globe.

Watch the trailer for From Zero to I Love You below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 1/24/20

Two best friends from Berlin win a trip to Greece. On their excursion, they get lost on an island. They spend the night together in a cave and dream a mystical dream. On the next day, nothing between the two will be like it was before. ‘Orpheus Song’ is a brand new gay film streaming exclusively on Dekkoo!

In this stunningly original short film a restless young man wants to leave love and the Earth behind. ‘Mankind’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

In this merry movie of matrimony, happily engaged Antonio brings his fiancé Paulo to the exquisite old Italian village of his birth to meet his headstrong parents and reveal his sexuality, setting out on a quest to make a city founded on religious tradition understand that love is love. Stream ‘My Big Gay Italian Wedding’ now on Dekkoo!

In this three-part documentary series LGBT culture and issues are explored in modern day Japan. Watch ‘Queer Asia: Japan’ now on Dekkoo.

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Coming next week: A romantic interaction between two young footballers profoundly affects one of them throughout the rest of his life and career.

Watch the trailer for the gay indie drama Fall Away

When the secretly gay lead singer of the up-and-coming band “65 Home” is brutally murdered in a Chicago back alley, his friends and lovers travel back to Nashville with his ashes to honor him and examine why he was killed.

We follow the friends and lovers of ‘Handsome Jake’ (Grant Stokes) as they try to come to terms with the singer’s untimely death. As the band travels to Nashville to honor his passing, we discover that there are many Jake’s – the brother, the lover, the poet, the liar and the cruel manipulator.

Everyone knows a different side of this man and the conflicted and seemingly contradictory aspects of his life. Torn between his personal and professional relationship with his co-writer Mel (Erinn Strain) and their unborn child, committed to his affair with his secret lover John (Nathanael Card), determined to make it big at all costs – Jake is destined for greatness and taken from us all too soon. But by whom? And why?

As the band members cross the Midwest with Jake’s ashes on board their Winnebago, they must now struggle to regroup, understand what happened, and find a way to move on. But can they do it without Jake?

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

Short Film Spotlight: The Language of Love

In The Language of Love, seventeen-year-old Charlie (Kim Ho) struggles to find the words to be true to himself… and his best friend.

Written and performed by Kim Ho and directed by Laura Scrivano, The Language of Love is a wry, sensitive and moving account of a young man coming to terms with his sexuality and facing a life-changing decision.

The film was written by Kim, under the mentorship of leading Australian playwright Tommy Murphy and was created as part of The Voices Project from the Australian Theatre for Young People.

Originally released in April 2013, The Language of Love has been widely acclaimed. The Advocate describes it as a film “to melt your heart.” It also earned two very big fans in Stephen Fry and Ellen DeGeneres. After seeing the film, both of them went out of their way to sing its praises on social media.

Watch the trailer for The Language of Love below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 1/17/20

Dekkoo delivers another streaming exclusive! Pete Logsdon is just a guy in Philadelphia who happens to have a history of getting involved with married men. His father and his soon-to-be step mom are on him to find someone who’s actually available and to settle down. Instead, he finds a man named Jack who is fifteen years into a perfect marriage with two beautiful children and an enviable wife. ‘From Zero To I Love You’ is available now to stream on Dekkoo!

Corey’s day couldn’t be worse. Then he gets a free coffee. Stream the fantastical gay short, ‘Sweater’ now on Dekkoo!

When the secretly gay lead singer of up and coming band “65 Home” is brutally murdered in a Chicago back alley, his friends and lovers travel back to Nashville with his ashes to honor him and examine why he was killed. ‘Fall Away’ is now streaming on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: In another Dekkoo exclusive, two young men win a trip to greece and discover their feelings for each other.

The Breeding is a Boldly Provocative Thriller

Winner of the “Best Feature” award at the 2018 Harlem International Film Festival, writer-director Daniel Armando’s The Breeding is a boldly provocative erotic thriller about a young African American artist whose obsession with a taboo fetish leads to life-altering consequences.

The story centers around Thomas (Marcus Bellamy), a thirsty queer New York City cartoonist who finds himself distracted and aroused by the men he’s drawing. While his boyfriend is away, he seeks out aggressive sexual experiences. A chance restroom encounter with a recently divorced financier named Lee leaves Thomas curious about exploring the taboo fetish of “race play.” But when the game goes past role-playing and becomes all too problematically real, chilling actions are taken that will forever change the trajectory of these men’s lives.

Part Fatal Attraction, part Get Out, The Breeding is a deeply edgy film that uses the style and tropes of erotic thrillers to examine race-relations, sexuality and cultural identity.

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

New This Week – 1/10/20

Thomas, a queer cartoonist, draws inspiration from his secret erotic escapades. A chance encounter leads him to explore the taboo fetish of “race play.” But when things get too real, lives will be forever changed. ‘The Breeding’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

This intimate film reveals the legendary man with the white saran wrapped pants, undersized leather vests, and Dutch-boy haircut who is the iconic Peter Berlin. Watch ‘That Man: Peter Berlin’ now on Dekkoo!

Charlie’s a mess. His best friend’s not talking to him, he can’t concentrate on his work…and now the clock’s ticking on his french exam. But the courage to speak can come from the most unlikely places. Stream ‘The Language of Love’ now on Dekkoo!

‘I’m Coming’ is a comedy short film which explores the dangers (or advantages) of online dating. Everything is good until something goes wrong, and then what’s more important, the truth or your reputation?

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Coming next week: Darryl Stephens plays Pete Logsdon-just a guy in Philadelphia who happens to have a history of getting involved with married men.

I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole celebrates a queer filmmaking pioneer

I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole tells the story of a sometimes-overlooked gay liberation and independent filmmaking pioneer.

In late 1971, Wakefield Poole, a respected Broadway dancer and choreographer, had the audacity to put his real name above the title of his first film, a low- budget, hardcore gay erotic feature called Boys in the Sand. And to make sure everyone knew about it, Poole advertised the film in the New York Times, creating a sensation.

In an era when anyone making, promoting, or appearing in what the US government considered “pornography” could be liable for prosecution and jail time, Poole was a remarkably open and honest gay filmmaker. He became internationally famous and his movies screened for years as examples that films could be artistic as well as sexually explicit.

Director/Producer Jim Tushinski continues the exploration of art and sexuality he began in That Man: Peter Berlin, but this time around, the main character is not a cool, untouchable icon. Poole, now in his 80s, tells his own story, that of an outspoken and articulate artist in a turbulent, passionate time. He didn’t think of himself as a pornographer. He was a filmmaker who used his dance and theater background to create beautiful, erotic art films that “challenged the mind.”

To many, though, Poole just made dirty movies. But Poole was so much more than a filmmaker and his amazing life story leads him through twists and turns, triumphs and tragedies, and a number of remarkable reinventions.

Watch the trailer for I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Nobody’s Watching

From co-writer/director Julia Solomonoff, the thoughtful new gay drama Nobody’s Watching is a film about the struggle of self-imposed exile; how the pleasures of anonymity and freedom contrast with the pain of loneliness and loss that shapes immigrant experience.

Nico (Guillermo Pfening) is an Argentine actor in his mid-30s, struggling to build a career in the United States. Without assistance, or connections, he’s never too far away from heart-breaking failure. He is, however, often blinded by the mirage of immediate success.

Nico has left a promising acting career in Argentina, after a tumultuous break-up with his mentor/producer. He lands in New York, lured into believing that his talent will help him find success “on his own” and prove his self-worth. But that’s not what he finds. Too blonde to play Latino, his accent to strong to play anything else, Nico gets stuck between identities: that of the successful South American actor, and temporary immigrant needing to juggle odd jobs and under-the-table employment, in search of the ever-elusive acting part that will provide an adjustment of status.

When Andrea (Elena Roger), his beautiful Argentinean ex-roommate and confidante, asks him to take care of her baby, Nico becomes his male nanny and doesn’t suspect how deeply this new bond will affect him.

Nobody’s Watching examines an immigrant experience that doesn’t often land on the screen; the bittersweet struggle of choosing to make a new land your own, and the realization that actual success lies in the journey of self- discovery and the unexpected gains that “failure” can provide.

Watch the trailer for Nobody’s Watching below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.