Category: Pride

A young gay couple faces paternity issues in the touching Thai family drama ‘Fathers’

Fathers follows Phoon and Yuke (Utt Uttsada Panichkul and Nat Sakdatorn), a young, happily partnered gay couple from Thailand who live in a sleek modern apartment that has all the trappings that come with success.

The pair even have an adorable seven-year old son named Butr (Arituch Pipattangkul), whom Phoon adopted at birth from an orphanage after he was abandoned by his mother. The trio are now waiting for the Thai Government to pass a law to allow same-sex marriage so that they can put their whole family on a more legal and secure footing.

Things get more complicated, however, when Butr starts school and is bullied for having two dads. When a social worker from the Children’s Rights Protection Organization gets involved, she begins questioning the idea of Butr growing up in a family without a feminine presence, and even tracks down his biological mother… who suddenly wishes to be a part of his life.

A sobering and deeply sincere drama from Thai director Palatpol Mingpornpichit, Fathers tells an emotional story about gay parenting in Southeast Asia, covering a complicated situation from every possible angle.

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

Gregg Araki’s New Queer Cinema classic ‘The Living End’ is now available on Dekkoo!

One of the most electrifying films of the New Queer Cinema movement, The Living End left viewers stunned when it premiered at the now-infamous 1992 Sundance Film Festival. Brazenly transgressive, it may be even more shocking by today’s standards. Credited as ‘An Irresponsible Movie by Gregg Araki,’ the film’s take-no-prisoners story follows two HIV-positive men with nothing to lose.

Luke (Mike Dytri), a mischievous and reckless drifter, and Jon (Craig Gilmore), an initially uptight film critic, meet, unconventionally, after Luke has a run-in with a trio of gay-bashers.

A passionate affair – and a whole lot of trouble – soon ensue as the pair embark on a nihilistic road trip – fueled by whiskey, a gun and Luke’s motto of ‘fuck everything.’

Though it was referred to, at the time, as ‘the gay Thelma & Louise,’ The Living End has far more in common with the groundbreaking work of Andy Warhol, John Waters, Derek Jarman and Jean-Luc Godard, iconoclast filmmakers who are all paid some level homage throughout the film.

On a budget of just $20,000, Gregg Araki crafted this ultra-violent Gen-X classic as a primal scream in the face of the mounting AIDS crisis and its accompanying cultural stigma.

More than thirty years later, The Living End has lost none of it’s power or political charge. Now audiences new and old can experience it once again, in all it’s digitally-remastered glory, on Dekkoo. Check out the original trailer below.

Take a sexy trip through São Paulo with the winning workplace comedy ‘Body Electric’

Body Electric is a warm-hearted, understated debut feature from Brazilian writer-director Marcelo Caetano. The film follows Elias (Kelner Macêdo), a carefree young man who migrated from Northeastern Brazil to São Paulo, works as an assistant designer in a clothing factory.

Elias’s daily life is divided between his job and the ephemeral encounters he shares with men. With the arrival of Fernando, an African immigrant, he starts to look at the production line with a sudden renewed interest.

With the holiday season approaching, work intensifies, and he finds himself increasingly trapped within the factory. As the distance between his professional and personal life closes in, he starts to explore his desires, invigorated by the freedom offered through his companions.

Against the warnings of his superiors, Elias takes to socializing into the night and sleeping with his co-workers.

An erotic tale of identity and sexuality, Body Electric captures the beauty and delicate excitement of sexual awakening, as seen through the intense color and vibrancy of modern-day São Paulo.

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

A gay artist tries turning tragedy into opportunity in the moving Polish drama ‘All Our Fears’

Triggered by an unexpected tragedy, a religious artist and gay activist tries to get his local community to grieve together in the emotional drama All Our Fears.

Dawid Ogrodnik stars in the film as Daniel, a well-respected young artist from the Polish countryside who finds himself torn between small-town values, urban art galleries, the Catholic church, and his gay identity.

When a queer friend commits suicide after suffering a homophobic attack, he becomes determined to redeem his community with the ultimate work of art – a deeply personal interpretation of ‘The Stations of the Cross.’

All the while, he’s slowly, carefully, and secretly building a relationship with Olek (Oskar Rybaczek), a younger local lover who is not yet ready to embrace his sexual identity.

Based on real events, All Our Fears tells the moving story of one brave man, raised in the countryside and engaged in the activities of the Catholic Church, who attempts to peacefully merge the important aspects of his life while refusing to accept hate and intolerance.

Watch the trailer for All Our Fears below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘The Sons of Tennessee Williams’ charts the evolution of the Mardi Gras drag scene

Paying homage to monumental queer documentaries like The Queen and Paris is Burning, director Tim Wolff’s film The Sons of Tennessee Williams interweaves archival footage with contemporary interviews to chart the evolution of drag and politics in the gay Mardi Gras scene.

Having come of age in New Orleans in the 1940s and ’50s, gay krewe members reminisce fondly of being inspired by the opulence of the Mardi Gras festivities, a hotbed for decadence and dress-up.

Seven years before the first rock was thrown at Stonewall, the gay krewes began throwing lavish balls as a sendup of their straight society counterparts and have since become a powerful force in city politics.

Members, many of them now in their seventies and eighties, discuss the importance of creating safe spaces at a time of police crackdowns in gay clubs, gaining a seat at the political table, the toll of AIDS and Hurricane Katrina on the community, and the importance of passing on the torch to a younger generation.

With oversized wigs and lavish costumes, these unlikely political activists strut their stuff with style, grace, and an eye toward the future.

Watch the trailer for The Sons of Tennessee Williams below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Two Hawaiian schoolboys fall in love in the heartwarming new romance ‘My Partner’

Two high school boys from seemingly different worlds fall in love in My Partner, a charming and colorful new gay romance from Hawaii.

Directed by Kanaka Maoli filmmaker Keli’i Grace and based on an original story by Lance D. Collins, the film explores the relationship between Edmar (played by Jayron Munoz), a high-achieving Filipino student, and Pili (played by Kaipo Dudoit), a Native Hawaiian student-athlete.

As they navigate budding young love and self-growth in Hawaii, their journey reflects the complexities of the area’s evolving cultural landscape.

Sexy, heartwarming and deeply romantic, My Partner breaks some new ground, offering up a unique take on love and identity and marking the first time that the wildly popular ‘Boys Love’ subgenre has been portrayed through a modern Hawaiian story.

Check out the poster for My Partner below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A legendary entertainer and pioneer gets her due in the documentary ‘Miwa: A Japanese Icon’

Male actor Akihiro Miwa came to prominence in Japan back in 1968 while playing the glamorous heroine of the film Black Lizard.

A legendary entertainer and a pioneer of gay activism, Miwa popularized androgyny as a fashion statement, fusing the masculine and the feminine into a new generation of aesthetics. This evolved into performing as a woman and living off-stage as a man.

With glitter, wit, evening gowns and enchanting storytelling, Miwa: A Japanese Icon, the celebrated new documentary from director Pascal-Alex Vincent, looks back over a 50-year career and a fascinating life in Japanese music, film and television.

Having sold millions of records, Miwa continues to fight for gay rights, among other issues. Miwa: A Japanese Icon reveals the life story of this wonderful performer and unapologetic social critic.

Watch the trailer for Miwa: A Japanese Icon below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.