Category: Short Film

Short Film Spotlight: A Bela é Poc

An intense short film from Brazilian writer-director Eric Lima and co-writer/star Taciano Soares, A Bela é Poc follows a proudly queer young man who is stuck living within a harsh environment that threatens his happiness at every turn.

Belinho (Soares), a devoted Francophile, dreams of a glamorous life on the stage, but his day-to-day reality is something quite different. Working to support his ailing, homophobic father, he’s constantly dodging threats of violence from the people in his community.

Nonetheless, with support from Mara, his best friend and biggest fan (Isabela Catao in a scene-stealing performance), he soldiers on, refusing to suppress himself for the closed-minded comfort of those around him.

But when he’s served a one-two punch of life-altering tragedies, Belinho risks drifting off into his Edith Piaf-inspired fantasy world for good.

With high energy performances, exceptional camera work and one particularly electric homage to My Own Private Idaho, A Bela é Poc offers up a hard-hitting examination of one man’s admirable resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Check out the poster for A Bela é Poc below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Five filmmakers explore male sexuality and longing in the collection ‘Furious Desires’

The concept of desire is explored to the fullest in Furious Desires, a collection of five international short films exploring male sexuality and longing.

In Brazilian filmmaker Fabio Leal’s The Daytime Doorman, a man pushes past boundaries with someone who works in his apartment building. Also from Brazil, Ricky Mastro’s film Xavier and Miguel follows a teen who is ready to tell the world about the secret feelings he has for his best friend.

The Other Side, from Mexican director Rodrigo Alvarez Flores, chronicles the romance between two young men who will not let the border come between their love. Mexican filmmaker Denisse Quintero’s The Tiger’s Fight is centered around a homoerotic harvest ritual where village men are expected fight one another.

Finally, from Italian director Simone Bozzelli, Loris is Fine follows a naïve 20-year-old whose need for affection drives him to make some life-altering choices.

With all of the shorts combined together, this stylish and diverse collection runs a total of 91 minutes… and will surely leave you with some desires of your own.

Check out these select stills from each of the five featured short films below. Furious Desires is now streaming on Dekkoo.

The Tiger’s Fight
Xavier and Miguel
The Daytime Doorman
The Other Side
Loris is Fine

Short Film Spotlight: Xmas Eve Eve

You know that scene at the end of almost every romantic comedy where one lover chases another to the airport to catch them and profess their love before they fly out of each other’s lives forever? Well, the short film Xmas Eve Eve takes that concept, expands on it and turns it completely on its head.

Set on a cold December night in 2020, while New York City is still in a state of semi-lockdown, this 13-minute rom-com follows Dennis (Christian Elán Ortiz), a young Brooklyn resident who is planning to leave the city for good just two days before Christmas. When he runs into Tom (Javan Nelson), a recent ex-boyfriend, while in route to La Guardia, his plans get a little more complicated.

A frantic chase through several New York boroughs soon ensues, with long held frustrations, lingering feelings, a particularly heavy suitcase and some clunky N95 masks along for the ride.

Featuring terrific performances from lead actors Nelson and Ortiz, and expert direction from up-and-coming filmmaker Dazhi Huang, Xmas Eve Eve is like the lost gay subplot of Love, Actually that you didn’t even know you needed.

Watch a short teaser trailer for Xmas Eve Eve below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

The clever short film ‘Beast’ tells an unusual, genre-twisting story of forbidden gay love

A 24-minute short film from Swedish writer-director Valentina Chamorro Westergårdh, Beast begins as a romantic drama and turns into something else entirely.

The film follows Vincent (Andreas La Chenardière), a reclusive young man who lives in a remote lakeside town that only attracts visitors during the warmer months. When he attends a bonfire and meets the strikingly handsome Gustav (Robert Noack), an instant attraction is sparked.

Gustav visits Vincent again later on, hoping to bring his seemingly shy newfound acquaintance out of his shell and act on their clear desire for one another.

Attracted to Gustav, Vincent soon gives in to temptation, and the two men begin a passionate affair. But Vincent has a good reason for keeping most people at a distance – and his secret may just destroy Gustav and their burgeoning romance if the pair aren’t careful.

Clever and beautifully constructed, Beast straddles two specific genres to tell an unusual tale of forbidden gay love.

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

Short Film Spotlight: I Get So Sad Sometimes

The debut short film from Filipino writer-director Trishtan Perez, I Get So Sad Sometimes is a sexually-charged drama about the isolation of youth.

Starring newcomers JC Santiago, Karl Louie Caminade and Russ Ligtas, the film follows a lonely high school boy who, unbeknownst to his family, is secretly spending a lot of time on the internet chatting with a mature man whose face he hasn’t seen.

Cleverly shot in a claustrophobic aspect ratio to capture the lead character’s sense of being boxed in, this provocative film offers up a keen observation of this modern generation’s ethos – expressed through an intimate and contemporary visual language focusing on the immediacy of online interaction and instant gratification.

One could also read the film as a stern warning of the dangers of the internet and social media as a surrogate to real life bonds.

Check out the poster for I Get So Sad Sometimes below. The full 20-minute short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Station In-Between

Swiss actors Peter Fischli and Carlos Leal star in the tender and visually lush short film The Station In-Between as Theo and Louis, two gay men with little in common who are compelled to go on an emotional journey together.

Louis’s husband, who was also Theo’s best friend, was recently killed during a homophobic attack. The pair are traveling by train to Paxmal, a spiritual peace monument in the Swiss Alps, to scatter their beloved friend and partner’s ashes.

Along the way, almost as if by fate, they meet a variety of memorable characters. Some confront them with traumas of the past, while others remind them of the good things in life and the beauty that surrounds them even in the darkest of times.

Gorgeously crafted by director Sven Schnyder, this touching and compassionate 19-minute short film is an ode to unexpected friendships, as well as life, death and everything in between.

Check out the poster for The Station In-Between below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: After Sunset, Dawn Arrives

A 17-minute short film from writer-director Andy Yi Li, After Sunset, Dawn Arrives tells an inspiring story about how it’s never too late to embrace a new passion.

Set in Los Angeles in 2005, the film follows Wen (Jesse Wang), a recent widower who has been suppressing his sexuality for a long, long time.

Happening upon a ballroom dance class for men, he peers through the window with curiosity, but his old-fashioned masculine ways prevent him from going inside.

When he later runs into Ken (Todd Lien), the ridiculously hot class instructor, at a local bathhouse, he’s convinced to come by and give the class a try. This sends Wen on an emotional journey where he is finally able to open up – not only to himself, but also to his deceased wife.

Check out the poster for After Sunset, Dawn Arrives below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.