Category: New This Wekk

Watch a thirty-second trailer for the brand-new Dekkoo-Original short comedy Thirty Candles

From director Jono Mitchell and screenwriter Madison Hatfield, the brand-new 13-minute short comedy Thirty Candles is a charming homage to the John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles, but with a decidedly gay twist.

Baker (Brandon Lee Browning) is turning 30 today… and he’s not thrilled about it. His long-distance best friend Hugh (DeMarius Copes) calls him up bright and early to celebrate and preemptively offset the birthday blues, but it’s no use. The ladies at the office seems to be planning some kind of embarrassing workplace surprise party. Sucking it up, Baker puts on his snazziest suit and sets off to work… only to find that the party is not for him, but a pregnant co-worker. What’s worse than everyone making a big deal out of your 30th birthday? No one remembering!

Luckily for Baker, the one person that does seem to remember his special day is Mike Bryan (Lee Osorio), the handsome IT guy of his deepest romantic fantasies. Suddenly, this milestone birthday might go from being the worst ever to the best.

With witty writing and charismatic performances, Thirty Candles is a clever and heartwarming short rom-com worth savoring. Watch a 30-second trailer for the film below. The full short is now streaming on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 3/18/22

A gay indie classic and film festival favorite from 1995, Parallel Sons follows a white teen from upstate New York who identifies as black – though he’s never met a black person. His life takes an unexpected turn when he falls in love with Knowledge, a young black man who has been wounded while escaping prison. ‘Parallel Sons’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

Flavio and Wendel are friends from the same soccer team. For more of their relationship, they have both shared the dream of one day becoming professional players. While Flavio starts entertaining ideas about quitting, Wendel begins to realize that what they feel for one another might be more than just friendship. Watch ‘A Team of Two’ now on Dekkoo!

A confrontation between two swimmers in a locker room ends in tears in this morality tale, which concerns the impudence of “manspreading” in public spaces. Inspired by homoerotic photography, GUO4 is a wildly original stop-motion short film from acclaimed British director Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy, Berberian Sound Studio, In Fabric). ‘GU04’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Two best Judies, Preston and Ben, navigate the insane she-nanigans life throws at them.

Now Available: Down in Paris

Antony Hickling wrote, directed and stars in the personal and beautifully evocative Down in Paris, which follows a troubled gay filmmaker at a creative and personal crossroad through one unusually eventful night.

Richard (Hickling) is a gay movie director in his forties who finds himself suddenly overwhelmed with crippling anxiety in the middle of a night shoot for his latest project. Without saying a word to his cast and crew, he walks off the set and wanders through the Paris streets in search of answers and hopefully, the inspiration to continue.

During his long dark night of the soul, Richard bonds with a British woman he meets in a bar, runs into an old boyfriend, visits an eerily profound fortuneteller and has a myriad of other random encounters (including a memorable visit to a gay sex club).

Some of these encounters are warm, some disturbing, others life affirming. None, however, quite provides what Richard is seeking. As dawn approaches, he must confront his fears and question his deepest desires in order to find renewal to continue his life journey.

Watch the trailer for Down in Paris below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 3/11/22

Aspiring actor Logan (Windham Beacham) is inexplicably drawn to reformed drug dealer Guillermo (Matthew Montgomery). While neither are gay, the pair are baffled when their friendship blossoms into more. But as their relationship deepens, Guillermo’s mysterious past erupts and a startling revelation about the true nature of their connection threatens to destroy it and change their lives forever. ‘Back Soon’ is now playing on Dekkoo!

Dekkoo Films presents ‘Thirty Candles’. In this homage to the John Hughes classic, a newly 30-year-old man finds unexpected comfort in his secret crush when everyone at the office forgets his birthday.

Our favorite crime solving gay bears fall into yet another thrilling murder mystery surrounding the upcoming nuptials of everyone’s favorite couple, Nelson and Todd! At the same time, Reggie’s true crime TV show becomes a hit on the Inquisitive Channel and sparks begin to fly because of his new co-stars. Meanwhile, Wood decides to start his own swimwear line called “Sporting Wood,” which provides them the opportunity to audition, dress and photograph hot bear models for a living! ‘Where the Bears Are 4′ is now available on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: An intelligent and haunting depiction of sexual passion and the interplay between desire and identification.

Short Film Spotlight: Rolling Around

On a family holiday in the mountains, Xavier (Florent Médina) is forced to go hiking with Fred (Thierry Préval), his big sister’s boyfriend, whom he does not seem to like very much.

During their multi-day hike, which Xavier’s sister sat out due to a sprained ankle, the two young men finally get to know each other – and like each other. They’re quickly growing bond becomes quite strong… until Xavier begins to develop feelings for Fred and makes an unexpected move.

Sensing a great tension and desire brewing beneath the surface, Xavier makes his case for why the two of them should take advantage of their alone time and express their true feelings. But does Fred really feel the same way? And is their blissful trip worth a secret family betrayal?

With gorgeous visuals and compelling performances, Thierry Préval – who pulls triple duty as the film’s writer, director and star – ratchets up the tension from the get-go. Rolling Around offers up a rich and deeply contemplative study of gay longing in just 22 minutes.

Watch a short trailer for Rolling Around below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss this award-winning biopic about one of the past century’s most celebrated gay artists

Award-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski brings to screen the life and work of one of the most influential and celebrated figures of 20th century LGBTQ life.

Known to the world as Tom of Finland, artist Touko Laaksonen shaped the fantasies of a generation of gay men with his proudly erotic and taboo-shattering drawings of testosterone-filled, muscle-bound men. But who was the man behind the leather?

This stirring biopic follows his life from the trenches of WWII and repressive Finnish society of the 1950s through his struggle to get his work published in California, where he and his art were finally embraced amid the sexual revolution of the 1970s.

Tom’s story is one of love, courage and perseverance, mirroring the gay liberation movement for which his leather-clad studs served as a defiant emblem.

Watch the trailer for Tom of Finland below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 3/4/22

Richard, a filmmaker in his forties, finds himself suddenly overwhelmed by anxiety during the making of his latest project. He walks off set and wanders through the Paris night in search of answers, comfort and inspiration. During this sleepless night, he meets many people – some friendly, some disturbing. He soon must start confronting his fears and questioning his deepest desires…all before the first light of dawn. ‘Down In Paris’ is available exclusively on Dekkoo!

On a family holiday in the mountains, Xavier is forced to go hiking with Fred, his big sister’s boyfriend, whom he does not seem to like. During this hike, the two boys will get to know each other, until Xavier begins to develop feelings for Fred. Their relationship then oscillates between tension and desire. ‘Rolling Around’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

Mario, in a trance, danced the night away. Later, his two lovers, Amine and Victor, discover him dead in his bed. In this house lost in the middle of nowhere, where they live with a band of friends, follows a dark drift where all mutations become possible. And on the horizon there is a mysterious leopard. Stream ‘Silence Du Leopard’ now on Dekkoo!

Now Available: Coming Clean

From the heart of the Amazon comes Coming Clean, an amazing compilation of LGBTQ+ short films from emerging Latin American directors from Brazil and Peru. These thought-provoking stories prove that universal social themes have no borders.

In The Last Romantics, two young men share their different points of view on the same sexual encounter in a public space. Savage Fire takes place in the city of Cajamar, where lonely characters deal with the police, rodeos and some mysterious fires.

My Only Earth is the Moon follows Sergio, who answers thirty six questions on order to make his crush Gabriel fall in love. Sandra Calling is an emotional short about a man who is trying to grieve for his lost mother while dealing with all the practical things that need to happen in the wake of a parent’s death.

Finally, Carlito Leaves Forever, directed under the supervision of Werner Herzog, takes place in the heart of the Amazon jungle and follows a silent young man who sets out on an epic canoe trip. An encounter soon reveals a secret he had been hiding from his community.

Watch the trailer for Coming Clean below. The full compilation is now available on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss the charming and unusual LGBTQ rom-com Straight Up

A major hit at film festivals when it first premiered in 2019, writer-director James Sweeney’s Straight Up is one of the best gay rom-coms of the past several years.

Sweeney himself stars as Todd, a hyper-articulate and obsessive compulsive twentysomething whose frustration over the gay dating scene leads him to a baffling conclusion: maybe he’s actually straight?!

When Todd meets Rory, a witty and equally whip-smart young actress played by Katie Findlay, the two form a strong connection and try to enter into a hetero relationship together – one that turns out to be all talk and no sex.

Can the two get past their hang-ups and make a real go at a loving and committed asexual relationship? Or are they just good friends who are fooling themselves?

Featuring razor-sharp dialog that evokes classic Hollywood, but with distinctly 21st century references, Straight Up is a deeply funny and charming crowd-pleaser that explores just how elastic our definitions of love and sexuality can get.

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

New To Dekkoo – 2/25/22

Tom of Finland shaped the fantasies of a generation of gay men, influencing art and fashion before crossing over into the wider cultural consciousness. But who was the man behind the leather? This stirring biopic follows his life from the trenches of WWII and the repressive Finnish society of the 1950s through his struggle to get his work published in California, where he and his art were finally embraced amid the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Watch ‘Tom of Finland’ now on Dekkoo!

While his strict father dreams of making him a champion, 16-year-old Amine practices synchronized swimming in secret. Lost between the fear of disappointing his dad and the desire to become the person he really is, the young man slowly finds the courage to accept his choices – and himself. ‘Amine; is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

From the heart of the Amazon comes this amazing compilation of LGBTQ+ short films from emerging Latin American directors from Brazil and Peru. These thought-provoking stories prove that universal social themes have no borders. Includes the short films ‘The Last Romantics’, ‘Savage Fire’, ‘My Only Earth is the Moon’, ‘Sandra Calling’ and ‘Carlito Leaves Forever’. ‘Coming Clean’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A beautifully evocative “night-in-the-life” gay fever dream.