Category: Short Film

Short Film Spotlight: Verona

Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Verona is the story of two young lovers separated by their rival fraternities.

Set in a small college town wherein young men are groomed for corporate success in All-American hyper competitive fashion, Verona presents the fate of star-crossed lovers in a society that condemns the very nature of their love.

Directed by Laurie Lynd (Breakfast with Scot), Verona features star actors known from DeGrassi, All My Children, The Best Years, Paradise Falls, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Queer As Folk and more. This post-modern retelling of the greatest love story ever told brings to light the homophobic/homo-erotic dual nature of fraternity life, its perks and perils.

Verona was shot as something of a calling-card, to pave the way for public, private and corporate interest in a full-length feature film version. The project is one of passion for all those involved, hoping to present the nature of love in its truest form – and it shows.

Verona is available now on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

New This Week – 3/19/21

Ernesto is a teenager who wanders, in search of himself, through the streets of Rome, beginning impromptu relationships and causing pain to himself and to others… until life forces him to grow up and face some hard truths. ‘Ernesto’ is available exclusively on Dekkoo!

It is the last day before Victor has to move to another city with his parents. So he and his best friend Robert do all the things they liked to do together so much: skateboarding, spraying, hanging out. But something is different this time. ‘Reel’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

These nine short films from director Roberto Perez Toledo feature stories of connections and missed opportunities with an appearance from cupid, a zombie couple, and a secret admirer. ‘The Films of Roberto Perez Toledo’ are available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: While shooting a film in a small town, a famous actor puts his personal life and career in jeopardy by starting an intense affair with another man.

Short Film Spotlight: Involuntary Activist

Aled (Rick Yale) is faced with an incredibly emotional dilemma when his sister tells him that his husband isn’t on the guest list to her wedding in Turkey.

Torn between alienating the sister he loves or doing something that goes against his own core values, Aled struggles to keep everyone happy.

Exploring the theme of conformity versus defiance – Involuntary Activist shows us how easy it is to stand for something in theory but what a different matter it is to stand for it in practice.

Filmed in Sweden, Involuntary Activist was written and directed by prolific short filmmaker Mikael Bundsen, a longtime protégé of Ruben Östlund (the internationally acclaimed director behind Force Majeure and The Square). His short Mother Knows Best (also available now on Dekkoo) competed at Berlinale and has won a number of awards, including the Iris Prize, and been screened worldwide, including Palm Springs, Thessaloniki and Sydney Film Festivals.

Involuntary Activist is available now on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

New This Week – 3/12/21

Interior designer and reality show star Farleigh Knock has a knack for keeping beautiful things, including Adonis-like Dennis, around his home. So when Farleigh gives him an unthinkable ultimatum for his 30th birthday–to get a job or get out–Dennis goes from Kept Boy to Lost Man. ‘Kept Boy’ is available now on Dekkoo!

This portrait chronicles life on the streets as seen through the eyes of a cross-dressing, homeless man named Leslie Cochran, one of the most beloved yet polarizing cult figures of Austin, Texas. Told with unapologetic humor, Leslie’s bizarre meteoric rise to iconic status is starkly contrasted with living life on his own terms in a changing world. Stream ‘Becoming Leslie’ now on Dekkoo!

‘Verona’ is the story of two young lovers separated by their rival fraternities. ‘Verona’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Dekkoo Films presents a new gay film about a young man, in search of himself, discovering the streets of Rome.

Short Film Spotlight: Scaffolding

A director, producer, photographer and musician, Spanish artist Juanma Carrillo is a jack of all trades. He has been working in the audiovisual world since 2000, moving between avant-garde films and video art.

His short movies and video creations have been screened at film festivals all around the world and in cultural centers such as the Andalusia Film Library, the New York Queens Museum, the London Barbican Center and La Casa Encendida in Madrid.

Out of all of Carrillo’s varied works, his 2012 short film Scaffolding is easily one of the most acclaimed. A touching slow-burn meet-cute, the 14-minute film focuses on the tentative flirtation that builds between two next door neighbors.

Scaffolding follows Eduardo (Domingo Fernández), a somewhat snobby and generally grumpy journalist, and David (Paco Blázquez), a shy and sensitive young literature student. The two men are neighbors in a building under maintenance. Their tiny balconies are side-by-side, which affords each of them little privacy. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing? For six months they have never greeted each other… until the appearance of a scaffold which will uncover unexpected reactions in each one.

A heartwarming hit on the LGBTQ+ film festival circuit when it first debuted, Scaffolding is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 3/5/21

Mario, a young dancer living in his small village has to face the loss of his beloved friend Lenz, victim of an attack in a gay club. ‘Why Not You’ is streaming exclusively on Dekkoo!

A young gay man finds how to love himself and accept love from another, despite the disapproval of his father. Watch ‘More Than Only’ now on Dekkoo!

An openly gay teacher must choose a course of action when his sister asks him to step back into the closet for her wedding in Turkey. ‘Involuntary Activist’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A story of love, greed – and moisturizer.

New This Week – 2/26/21

17-year-old Jakob wants nothing more than to feel alive. Uncontrollable anxiety attacks prevent him from doing so and force him to escape into virtual worlds. One night, he meets 26-year-old Kristjan in a cam chat. Their encounter marks the beginning of a transpersonal journey to the wounds of their souls. ‘Nevrland’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Two high school sweethearts, Luke and Jonah, spend their final months together over the course of a long, quiet summer in the rural South–a world of baseball, bicycles, church and green bean casserole–contemplating their uncertain future and the uncertain future of America. Stream ‘Last Summer’ now on Dekkoo!

Eduardo, a snob publicist who lives cranky most of the day and David, a shy student of literature are neighbors in a building under construction. After six months of hardly a greeting a scaffold intercedes between them causing unexpected reactions in each. ‘Scaffolding’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A young dancer living in his small village has to face the loss of his beloved friend, the victim of an attack in a gay club.

Short Film Spotlight: Bror

Written and directed by prolific short filmmaker Isabella Carbonell, the fourteen-minute short film Bror (“Brother”) takes place on the soccer field, following two longtime buddies as they cagily broach the subject of taking their friendship to the next level.

Nico (Philip Oros) and Khalid (Poyan Karimi) are best friends – and always have been. Khalid was born in Iran, a country where having feelings for another man can lead to the death penalty. Nico was born in Sweden, a country where it’s openly accepted for a man to have a boyfriend. And yet it’s Nico who keeps holding back when Khalid tries to take their relationship further than it’s gone before.

Well-received on the international film festival circuit, Bror has also been used as an educational film at schools in Germany. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 2/19/21

Though he’s always considered himself straight, Daniel begins to develop feelings for his alluring new co-worker Javier. Once he admits to his bisexuality, he enters a new world of potential partners. All the while, however, he’s looking to work up the courage to tell Javier how he really feels. Don’t miss this sexy new 8-episode romantic comedy series. ‘Everything I Like’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

A drag queen named Gloria’s life changes dramatically when she meets Kandi, a drag virgin auditioning for her next show. As the bond develops between the two, their relationship takes an unexpected turn. Stream ‘Your Eyes On Me’ now on Dekkoo!

Darío, a 17-year-old boy in Barranquilla, Colombia, is a talented dancer whose mother’s disapproval stands in his way of performing at the upcoming carnival. ‘Dario’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A psychological coming-of-age film about the courage it takes to be oneself and the daunting fear blocking the way.

New This Week – 2/12/21

Reeling after the sudden death of his son, a middle-aged police officer begins to immerse himself in the local gay club scene – looking for a way to discover more about his son’s private life. What begins as part of the grieving process takes a different turn when he begins forming an intense relationship with a much younger man. ‘7 Minutes’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

For over 40 years, it was considered the “Largest Gay Mass Murder in U.S. History”. On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the Upstairs Lounge, ultimately killing 32 people. With interviews from survivors, family/friends of victims and witnesses, ‘Upstairs Inferno’ vividly examines this oft-forgotten story and captures the power of unconditional love. Watch ‘Upstairs Inferno’ now on Dekkoo.

In the short film ‘Amateur Dramatics, two competing actors find truth in pretending. Stream ‘Amateur Dramatics’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A thoroughly modern, light-filled look at romance and sexuality.