Category: Pride

Short Film Spotlight: Sacrament

Set in the 1950s, Sacrament stars Abel Benitez and Rin Iverson as Belford and Winston, two young men on a camping trip outside their rural, religious hometown.

As the story begins to unfold it becomes abundantly clear that two men are attracted to one another, something which is forbidden by their conservative community.

What soon follows is a dark night of the soul for Belford, as he enters into a terrifying, anxiety-induced nightmare and tries to reconcile his religious faith with what his heart truly desires.

Gorgeously shot in black and white, this provocative 9-minute short from writer-director Jack Hessler uses horror imagery and religious allegory to convey complicated feelings about sacrifice, religious intolerance and repressed desires.

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

The sexy and deeply romantic gay Mormon classic ‘The Falls’ returns to Dekkoo

R.J. and Chris (Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer) were both born and raised in the Mormon Church. Both boys have girlfriends, were Eagle Scouts at a young age and have perfect academic records. Now, it’s their turn to serve a mission and experience the Mormon rite of passage.

Unbeknownst to them, serving this mission will not only open the doors to strangers’ households – where they’re expected to preach the Gospel and possibly return with some converts to the Church – but will also open up some secrets in their own lives… and feelings that they’ve long kept buried.

Featuring two exceptional and deeply romantic performances from lead actors Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer, The Falls captures the lives of two young men struggling to make sense of the conflict between their religion and their desires. What they discover will present a challenge to both of their lives, but also offer an affirmation of the human spirit.

Originally released in 2012, The Falls is a beloved romantic indie drama that will resonate deeply with any LGBTQ+ viewers from conservative Christian backgrounds. The story doesn’t stop here, either. Writer-director Jon Garcia followed up with R.J. and Chris in two sequels – The Falls: Testament of Love in 2013 and The Falls: Covenant of Grace in 2016.

Watch the trailer for The Falls below and head over to Dekkoo to dive into the first film – streaming now. The complete trilogy will be available on Dekkoo later this month.

‘Ganymede’ is a clever and skillfully-crafted coming-out fable for queer horror fans

A metaphorical queer horror fable, Ganymede follows a high school athlete whose burgeoning sexual desires arrive with unexpectedly terrifying side-effects.

Jordan Doww stars in the film as Lee Fletcher. A wrestling star and third generation heir to the county commissioners seat, he’s a big deal in his small town.

When Lee develops a crush on an openly gay classmate named Kyle (Pablo Castelblanco), he finds himself stalked by a grotesque creature that emerges from the waters of his family’s lake – and literally inhabits his closet.

As the creature begins to infect Lee’s thoughts, he seeks Kyle’s advice. His parents catch them in an intimate moment that puts their relationship on the rocks and lands Lee in the office of the family’s extreme pastor, who blames Kyle and administers a dangerous treatment.

Tensions rise as the boys’ families butt heads over how to approach their children’s growing desires. Lee struggles with his attraction to Kyle and suffers escalating torment from the grotesque creature… until he is finally forced to confront an essential truth about himself.

Robin Lively, David Koechner and ‘Stranger Things’ alum Joe Chrest co-star in this clever and skillfully mounted parable from co-directors Sam Probst and Colby Holt, which uses classic horror tropes to illustrate some essential truths about coming out in a conservative environment.

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

‘To Decadence with Love, Thanks for Everything’ takes viewers on an intimate trip through Southern Decadence

The action-packed documentary To Decadence with Love, Thanks for Everything follows the lives of drag queen extraordinaires Laveau Contraire and Franky Canga as they prepare for Southern Decadence, a weekend of queer celebration in New Orleans.

During this behind-the-scenes journey, we meet a rich community of Southern artists who proudly challenge social norms and the boundaries of self-expression.

Showcasing the diversity of New Orleans while teaching a poignant lesson about knowing your worth, this new film from director Stuart Sox provides a personal perspective from the performers as well as the producers, as Laveau strives to create more opportunities for BIPOC performance artists.

From drag queens to burlesque performers and everything in between, To Decadence with Love, Thanks for Everything is a lively portrait of a nearly 50-year tradition and the diversity community that pulls it together year after year.

Watch the trailer for To Decadence with Love, Thanks for Everything below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A respected soldier falls for a young recruit in the searing gay military drama ‘Eismayer’

Sergeant Major Eismayer (Gerhard Liebmann) is known and feared as the toughest training officer in the Austrian Armed Forces. Ruthless with recruits, he is seemingly unwavering in his ideas about discipline, order and presenting an image of macho toughness.

When he starts to fall in love with Falak (Luka Dimic), a new recruit who unashamedly embraces his homosexuality, Eismayer’s closeted existence is shaken to the core.

To a man like Eismayer, loving another man cannot be reconciled with the understanding of what a model soldier should be. Will he choose to protect his badass tough guy image over all else… or can he follow his heart and his true desire?

Inspired by an incredible true story, director David Wagner’s Eismayer is a hard-hitting queer love story set against a modern military backdrop.

A powerful film about coming out, gay love, toxic masculinity, traditional gender roles, fear and friendship, Eismayer aims to tear down your preconceptions and assumptions about masculinity and strength before rebuilding them in a whole new way.

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

Muffy Blake Stephyns slays D.C. in the illuminating documentary ‘Queen of the Capital’

Bureaucrat by day and drag queen crusader by night, Muffy Blake Stephyns has high aspirations.

Muffy and her everyday persona, Daniel, must navigate her bureaucratic day job at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC, all while balancing her role in the Imperial Court of Washington DC, a philanthropic organization full of drag queens, drag kings and other vibrant performers.

Every year, the court elects an emperor and an empress. Drawing on experience as a former political consultant, Muffy spends a year campaigning for the title.

Documentary filmmaker Josh Davidsburg follows all of the action in the feature-length film Queen of the Capital, illuminating the thriving Washington D.C. drag scene and exploring the story of one individual on a colorful crusade for the community at large – who also finds time to be funny as hell along the way.

Watch the trailer for Queen of the Capital below. The full documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Conditional Desire

Tunisian director Houcem Slouli’s award-winning 15-minute short film Conditional Desire follows Ahmed and Salma (Slim Dhib and Imene Ghazouani) , two young gay adults who, despite residing in a society that values conformity, strive to remain honest with themselves.

Unfortunately, they find that they must grapple with a heart-wrenching psychological burden as they sacrifice their happiness to meet the expectations of others.

Having found one another, they married for convenience – seeking the freedom to pursue their passions while masquerading as a heterosexual couple.

With secret lovers representing their true identities, they navigate emotional challenges, questioning the sacrifices they’re forced to make to preserve their secret.

A stirring short drama, Conditional Desire explores identity, love and the effort it takes to stay true in a deeply restrictive world.

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

Prepare to be smitten with the charming new coming-of-age comedy ‘Big Boys’

A teen boy’s unexpected crush leads to a weekend of self-discovery in Big Boys, a relentlessly charming and deeply relatable new coming-of-age comedy from writer-director Corey Sherman.

Isaac Krasner stars as Jamie, a young man who finds his dream camping trip ruined, before it even begins, when he learns that his cousin will be bringing along her new boyfriend.

His initial jealousy of Dan, the boyfriend in question (played by David Johnson III), quickly turns into a friendship, however, as the pair bond over their love of cooking and games. It also doesn’t hurt that they both happen to be ‘big boys.’

As the weekend progresses, Jamie wants nothing more than to spend more time with Dan. As his burgeoning crush gets him into awkward scrapes and arguments, Jamie finally begins to come to terms with who he is – and who he desires.

The winner of last year’s Audience Award at Outfest Los Angeles, Big Boys is a hilarious and heartwarming crowd-pleaser. We can’t recommend it more highly.

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

The queer classic ‘Saturday Night at the Baths’ comes to Dekkoo in a new 4K restoration

Newly restored in 4K, director David Buckley’s landmark excursion into bisexuality, 1970s relationship politics and the historical importance of gay bathhouse culture is celebrated in his 1975 film Saturday Night at the Baths.

When struggling pianist Michael (Robert Aberdeen) lands a job at the legendary Continental Baths in New York City, his wife Tracy (Ellen Sheppard) encourages him – and even emphasizes how special this institution is. Michael, however, struggles with his own homophobia, yet starts developing feelings for his confident and sexually free co-worker Scotti (Don Scotti).

Shot on-location inside the famous Continental Baths and featuring an unforgettable 12-minute scene of the actual entertainment of the time, both musical and erotic alike, Saturday Night at the Baths is a sublime example of the compelling and sensual queer cinema of one of the most groundbreaking periods in gay and bisexual film history.

Watch the trailer for the new restoration of Saturday Night at the Baths below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: That Dark Day

Fábio (Miguel Filpi) is a young trans man from Sao Paulo who works as a caregiver for the elderly. Mourning the end of a recent love affair, his memories and dreams offer a closer look at his coming-of-age and the dilemmas he faced while coming to understand his gender and sexuality.

Everything starts coming into focus for Fábio when he begins working for Louise (Isabelle Lenoble), an elderly cisgender woman who is living far away from any close friends or family. Slowly dying of a terminal illness, Fábio becomes her rock. As weeks go by, their relationship matures into one of abiding affection and deep understanding.

Living in a polarized society, fraught with political and financial turmoil, the pair begin to rely solely on one another and start learning how to say their goodbye – he to a cherished relationship and the person he used to be; and she to life itself.

From Brazilian writer-director Daniel Guarda, That Dark Day is a profoundly emotional 29-minute short film that will linger with you long after the credits roll.

Celebrated at screenings around the world, the film won the ‘Silver Rabbit Award,’ the Audience Choice for Best Brazilian Short Film, at MixBrasil Festival of Diversity Culture when it debuted in 2022.

Watch the trailer for That Dark Day below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.