Category: Performing Arts

Short Film Spotlight: Genetica

A moving 15-minute short from Israeli filmmaker Chen Shahuda, Genetica follows Hemi, a 15-year-old boy who is taking swimming lessons… despite having zero interest in learning how to swim.

In spite of this, he is encouraged to continue with the lessons by his macho conservative father. Returning home one day, he stumbles upon a small dance studio and his finds that his interest is suddenly piqued.

After meeting Dani, a flirtatious a Russian dancer, between classes, the direction in which his heart is pulling him becomes all to clear.

When Hemi’s father discovers, however, that his son has been stealing money for dance classes, his newfound passion is quickly called into question.

Genetica is a bittersweet drama about following your heart, no matter what obstacles may present themselves.

Watch the trailer for Genetica below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

An Argentine actor navigates the rough waters of New York City in ‘Nobody’s Watching’

From screenwriter Christina Lazaridi and co-writer/director Julia Solomonoff, Nobody’s Watching follows Nico (Guillermo Pfening), the handsome young star of a popular soap opera in his native Argentina.

At the height of a blossoming career, Nico suddenly and mysteriously leaves home to pursue an acting career in New York. But the promise of film work and a permanent visa evaporates as Nico – too blond to play Latino, too heavily accented to play anything else – finds himself working odd jobs and becoming more desperate, socially and financially.

Ultimately, he must confront the real reasons he left Argentina and take steps toward reclaiming a sense of his own worth.

Nobody’s Watching smartly observes the subtle boundaries that define class, race and opportunity in contemporary America, while shining a light on the immigrant experience and the role that perceived failures can play as stepping stones to self-discovery.

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

‘Avant-Drag!’ gets intimate with a tight-knit group of Athens-based drag performers

With police brutality and homophobic violence against LGBTQ+ individuals in Greece on the rise, the new documentary Avant-Drag! offers an exhilarating look at ten Athenian drag performers who deconstruct gender, nationalism, belonging, and identity while facing transphobia and racism.

As entertaining as it is thought-provoking, this new film from Greek director Fil Ieropoulos challenges societal norms and reshapes perceptions about LGBTQ+ culture by capturing the intimate lives of a tightly-knit group of drag performers, proving that being ‘othered’ has never felt so familiar.

The film captures the vibrancy of Athens’ underground drag scene and its role in pushing boundaries and expressing dissident identities. It goes beyond the mainstream representations of drag, focusing on more radical, explicitly political, and raw performances.

Juxtaposing magical realism, political commentary, and outrageous performances, Avant-Drag! is a love letter to Athens – a city that can be as oppressive as it can be a refuge for art freaks and a hot-bed for creativity.

Watch the trailer for Avant-Drag! below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A musician’s spark is ignited by a young trans man in the Australian drama ‘Unsound’

When guitarist Noah (Reece Noi) finds himself growing disillusioned, he quits his band and returns to his mother’s home in Sydney, Australia.

Clashing with his mother over old wounds, Noah seeks solace elsewhere and soon finds himself swept up in the vibrant, passionate life and of a young trans-man named Finn (Yiana Pandelis), who runs a local center and nightclub for his deaf community.

Together, the pair traverse new ground, sharing their languages – Noah’s music and Finn’s sign language – with one another. They move carefully, as this is Finn’s first relationship while he is on the precipice of diving into his trans journey.

Noah offers to help aid the club any way he can, but as the two become closer, and with no shared language to fall back on, they risk hurting each other as they learn to be true to themselves.

From screenwriter Ally Burnham and director Ian Watson, Unsound is a thoughtful and romantic queer drama that takes great pride in its conversational awareness of both the LGBTQIA+ and deaf or hard of hearing communities.

Watch the trailer for Unsound below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Singing Telegram

Matt (Eddie Grey) is an aspiring young musician from Sydney, Australia who is living with his boyfriend Daniel (Andrew Chappelle) in New York City.

Not quite living the cosmopolitan American lifestyle he’d imagined, he’s found himself stuck delivering singing telegrams in an effort to make ends meet.

Blinded by his desire to succeed, Matt risks losing the one part of his life he needs most… until a surprise telegram changes his perspective.

Starring, written and co-directed by up-and-coming Broadway actor Eddie Grey, The Singing Telegram is an adorable, colorful and ultimately uplifting romantic musical comedy short about learning to be grateful for what you have while never giving up on your dreams.

Watch a short teaser clip from The Singing Telegram below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Shiba San and Meow Chan

Shiba San and Meow Chan, a 30-minute Taiwanese short film from director Chung-Chieh Chiang, revolves around two brothers, both stars of a hit children’s show – in which they perform as a dog and a cat, respectively.

Their show, having swept through the nation capturing the eyes and hearts of kids, has brought them great fame and media attention. Though radiant on stage, both actors have something else on their minds.

Shiba San has been secretly in love with a married man while Meow Chan misses his remarried mother and finds himself desperately searching for reasons why she left him.

Their journey will lead the two stray siblings to confront their emptiness that comes with very public success.

Mixing cuteness and melancholy, Shiba San and Meow Chan is a touching story of two brothers coming of age under intense scrutiny.

Watch the trailer for Shiba San and Meow Chan below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Two dancers find their relationship threatened by ambition in the sensual drama ‘Dying Briefly’

Dying Briefly follows young performer Sebastian (Martín Saracho) who, shortly after joining an esteemed dance company, meets Arsenio (Joan Kuri), a charming and more experienced fellow dancer.

The two men quickly fall for one another, beginning an intense affair and soon becoming a couple.

When a manipulative new choreographer arrives with methods that begin to shake up the established group dynamics, the pair find themselves in crisis.

Now they must compete with one another for the same role while trying to stay true to themselves and their affection for one another. Will their relationship, and the troupe as a whole, survive the competition?

Like a gay male version of Black Swan, Dying Briefly is a captivating and thought-provoking romantic dance drama, exploring complicated issues of body image, bullying, and self harm with sexy and talented lead actors and impressive choreography that will sweep you off your feet.

Watch the trailer for Dying Briefly below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: (Il)legal Asterisk

Are we defined by how we see ourselves or how we’re perceived by the outside world?

An experimental, uniquely philosophical short from director Fabrizio Bancale, the 20-minute film (Il)legal Asterisk (originally titled Asterisco (Il)legale) employs three Italian actors (Bruno Petrosino, Orazio Rotolo Schifone and Mauro Toscanelli) to examine that very question.

Pulling from stories both personal and historical, the film playfully jumps around, introducing different settings and characters whose inherent queerness – and their ability to express themselves – has been either discouraged or outright destroyed by societal forces beyond their control.

Handling heavy topics with a light, charismatic touch, the film explores how expressing oneself, coming out and/or living life according to one’s own choices can cost dearly when the law of the land does not offers adequate protection.

With the fight for true freedom being far from over, (Il)legal Asterisk investigates our shared past while shedding a light on our present.

Watch the trailer for (Il)legal Asterisk below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘Queendom’ follows a talented queer artist who literally risks her life on the streets of Moscow

Both inspiring and nail-biting, the new documentary Queendom shines a much-deserved spotlight on Gena Marvin, a young queer artist from a small town in Russia who dazzles in the otherworldly costumes she crafts from tape and found materials.

As Putin’s government increasingly encroaches on the rights of LGBTQ+ communities, Gena takes to the streets of Moscow, staging provocative performances that challenge the status quo.

All she wants to do change people’s perception of beauty and queerness and bring attention to the harassment of the LGBTQ+ community. But her artistic activism comes at a price as political tensions in Russia escalate, jeopardizing her own personal freedom.

An Oscar-shortlisted doc from director Agniia Galdanova, Queendom is not so much a portrait as it is a direct cinematic extension of Gena’s inner universe, delving into her extravagant subconscious creations and her search for free expression while illustrating how unleashing one’s inner world can create ripples of positive change.

Watch the trailer for Queendom below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘Throuple’ is now available to rent or buy on Dekkoo and all other major VOD services!

The acclaimed new queer rom-com Throuple is now available to rent or buy on Dekkoo, as well as all other major VOD providers!

Gay singer-songwriter Michael is hopeless when it comes to expressing himself. When he meets Georgie and Connor, a married couple, their nonchalant hook-up turns into a night of vulnerability that none of them expected.

As the couple challenges him to open up about his feelings, Michael ignites a new flicker of excitement in their marriage. His world is soon thrown into chaos, however, when everyone in his social circle begins making life-altering decisions that leave him feeling abandoned. He must decide whether to finally open up and go after what he wants or watch his dreams slip away.

From director Greyson Horst and screenwriter/star Michael Doshier, Throuple is a colorful and sexy new rock n’ roll romance about one man’s journey to live and love openly… while creating a few new songs along the way.

Watch the trailer for Throuple below. You can rent or buy the film right now on Dekkoo, Amazon and various other VOD services. It will be available to Dekkoo subscribers later this year.