Category: Pride

The 1974 gay classic ‘A Very Natural Thing’ is now available on Dekkoo

Originally released by New Line Cinema in 1974, director Christopher Larkin’s A Very Natural Thing is considered one of the first films about gay relationships intended for mainstream, commercial distribution.

The plot concerns a young monk named David, played by Robert Joel, who leaves the monastery to become a public school teacher by day, while looking for true love in a gay bar by night.

Though it didn’t reach the large, mainstream audience the distributors had been seeking, the film offers a unique look at a specific period in the LGBTQ history – beginning with a mini-documentary about New York City’s 1973 Gay Pride Parade and continuing on to take a refreshingly positive and optimistic look at then-modern same-sex relationships.

While earlier queer films were dominated by tales of gays and lesbians being outcasts of society, mentally disturbed or committing suicide – and later queer films were sadly dominated by the emergence of the AIDS crisis – A Very Natural Thing represents a short period in time where gay liberation flourished, and filmmakers could explore relationships in much the same way that films with heterosexual characters did.

Check out the original poster for A Very Natural Thing below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Affection

A thought-provoking 6-minute short from writer-director Connor Williams, Affection stars Justin Kang and Spencer Claus as Shawn and Luke, two young boyfriends who are unexpectedly confronted with their differences during a night out.

While walking down the street holding hands, a passing stranger makes a derogatory comment. The more confident, outspoken Luke’s response is to confront the situation head on – standing up for both himself and the man he loves. Shawn, however, has a different way or handling these incidents… though he’s seemingly reluctant to examine the reasons why.

Smart and compassionate where it counts, featuring terrific performances from the two lead actors, Affection examines the ways in which we deal with prejudice and what it says about our own levels of self-acceptance.

Check out the poster for Affection below. The short film is now available on Dekkoo.

Coming out gets more complicated than usual in the charming Italian rom-com ‘Tell No One’

Fast-paced, funny and even a little tear-inducing when it counts, Tell No One is a charming family comedy about successful young man who is long overdue to start telling the truth.

Mattia (Josafat Vagni) is about to move from Rome to Madrid to start a new job and marry his long-distance boyfriend Eduard (Jose Dammert). This will solve two problems: 1) He will be much closer to the man he loves; 2) He won’t have to bite the bullet and finally come out to his family.

His plan hits a major snag, however, when Eduard, having no idea that Mattia is still in the closet, announces that he has planned a surprise trip to Rome so that he can meet his boyfriend’s folks and ask for their son’s hand in marriage.

Stunned by this unexpected news, Mattia has to compose himself quickly and decide whether or not it’s time to tell the truth to his old-fashioned Italian parents.

Though the whole film takes place during one fateful day, director Ivan Silvestrini and screenwriter Roberto Proia use narration and a variety of creative visual flourishes to jump around in time and give the audience the full scope of Mattia’s family life.

Blending clever dialog and comic set-pieces with heartfelt moments of emotional poignancy, Tell No One should resonate for anyone who has spent a little too much time in the closet.

Watch the trailer for Tell No One below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A closeted young Jewish man explores his sexuality in this thoughtful drama set in 1980s Brooklyn

A closeted young man struggles to reconcile his strict Russian-Jewish upbringing with his burgeoning sexuality in director Eric Steel’s Minyan, a contemplative coming-of-age drama set in Brighton Beach during the 1980s.

Samuel H. Levine stars as David, a Yeshiva student who dutifully follows religious strictures, but itches to explore yearnings beyond his insular community.

When he moves in with his widowed grandfather, played by Ron Rifkin, and befriends two elderly gay neighbors, they open his imagination to new possibilities.

David begins to explore gay life in the East Village, just as the threat of AIDS looms in the background.

A sexy and thoughtful critically-acclaimed drama, Minyan is a must-see, telling a powerful story of rebellion, self-discovery, sexual and spiritual awakening – and survival.

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

Short Film Spotlight: Two Words

British actors Henry Goodman and Sophia Myles deliver deeply emotional performances in the short drama Two Words.

The film follows Gavin (Goodman), a man in his mid-60s who is determined to finally be true to himself.

In order to do so, Gavin must reveal to his adult daughter (Myles) that he had been living a lie, concealing his sexuality throughout his 35 years of marriage.

From screenwriter David Blacker and director Jesper Emborg, Two Words tells a heartbreaking story of family, grief and self-realization.

Watch a short clip/trailer for Two Words below. The full 23-minute short film is now available on Dekkoo.

A seemingly straight guy comes to terms with his sexuality in the indie drama ‘That is All’

From writer-director Mark Weeden, That is All is an understated indie drama about a man trying to come to terms with the reality of who he is.

Sharing an apartment with his laidback roommate Paul (Daniel Bossenberry) and working a dull job that barely passes the time, Ryan, played by Joel Ballanger in a thoughtful and nuanced lead performance, finds himself consumed by loneliness as he enters his thirties.

What those around him don’t know is that Ryan is secretly struggling with his sexuality and finding comfort in online encounters with men.

At a birthday party for his friend Brad (Dan Tait Brown), Ryan meets Brad’s boyfriend Sam (Al Braatz) and the two hit it off. Ryan and Brad quickly become close and embark on an affair. At the same time, however, Ryan is stringing along Maya (Sara Hinding), a girl that has a crush on him.

Can Ryan come clean to himself and his friends about his sexuality? And, if so, can he do it without hurting anyone else in the process?

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

A group of LGBTQ+ elders get their due in the touching documentary ‘The Coming Back Out Ball Movie’

Filmed in 2017, around the time of Australia’s divisive marriage equality vote, The Coming Back Out Ball Movie is an observational documentary that follows a group of LGBTQ+ elders. They have been invited to a ball in Melbourne to celebrate their gender and sexual identity.

Faced with the complexities of aging and isolation, these extraordinary people seize each day with determination and humor. In a world that is rapidly changing for LGBTQ communities, director Sue Thompson captures amazing and heartwarming moments – such as some of the cast experiencing acceptance and love for the very first time in their lives.

Watch the trailer for The Coming Back Out Ball Movie below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: BPM (Beats Per Minute)

In the early 1990s, ACT UP – in France, as well as in the United States – was on the front lines of AIDS activism, taking on sluggish government agencies and major pharmaceutical companies in bold, invasive actions.

ACT UP’s members, mostly gay, HIV-positive men, stormed offices in “Silence=Death” t-shirts, facing down complacent suits with the urgency of their own struggle for life.

With BPM (Beats Per Minute), acclaimed French director Robin Campillo (Les Revenants, Eastern Boys) takes audiences directly to the front lines, telling a deeply moving love story that doubles as a historical reenactment.

Amid rallies, protests, fierce debates and ecstatic dance parties, newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois) falls in love with Sean (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), the group’s radical firebrand. Their passion sparks against the shadow of mortality as the activists fight for a breakthrough.

Winner of the coveted Queer Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as six Cesar Awards, BPM is one of the most acclaimed gay films in recent memory. We can’t recommend it more highly.

Watch the trailer for BPM (Beats Per Minute) below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

The queer ’90s classic ‘Broadway Damage’ is now available on Dekkoo

Originally released in 1997, the romantic comedy-drama Broadway Damage plays like a valentine to ‘90s New York indie cinema when viewed through today’s lens.

Mara Hobel, Michael Lucas and Aaron Williams star as Cynthia, Marc and Robert, a trio of recent NYU grads who score a great apartment together in Greenwich Village. Marc is a struggling actor, Cynthia is desperately trying to break into the magazine publishing world and Robert, an actor/songwriter, is secretly harboring feelings for Marc – who is, sadly, oblivious.

Burning with youthful ambition, all three are ready to take New York City by storm. But when a sexy new neighbor enters the picture, the realities of life, love and career goals start to test their dreams and the dynamics of their friendship in unexpected ways.

A winner of numerous awards at LGBTQ film festivals when it first debuted, Broadway Damage is ready to take you back to a different, but no less complicated time.

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

A swimmer’s relationship with his coach causes family problems – and an arranged marriage – in the coming-of-age drama Beyto

Beyto (Burak Ates) is a young man whose family are Turkish immigrants living in Switzerland. A dutiful student and an attractive and popular rising star at his local swimming club, he strives to make them proud, but his family’s stringent views about homosexuality means he has to keep a whole portion of his life and his identity secret.

Just as Beyto begins to discover first love with his coach, Mike (Dimitri Stapfer), his parents get word from friends who spotted him at Gay Pride Parade and become desperate to shut down any rumors that he’s gay.

Shocked and ashamed by Beyto’s budding relationship with another man, his parents lure their son to their home village in Anatolia and start arranging his wedding to Seher (Ecem Aydin), a female friend from his childhood. Suddenly, Beyto finds himself at the center of an unbearable love triangle.

A subtle, sensuous and moving love story, Beyto examines the drama of family tradition and integration, expressing the dilemmas of its characters while never losing sight of their humanity and love for one another.

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