Category: Short Film

ATTENTION QUEER FILMMAKERS!

Dekkoo understands the hardship the COVID-19 pandemic has put on you. To help creators, Dekkoo is launching a one-week short film challenge. You could win a cut of $10,000.00 in prizes! Interested? Read on!

THE THEME: LOVE AND DISTANCE

Dating from a distance. Home alone and loving it. Dealing with romance and heartbreak while social distancing. Far-away flirting.

The pandemic has put a spotlight on our relationships with others and ourselves. What do relationships in the time of quarantine look like? How do they function? Shoot and submit a 5-minute maximum length short film telling a story from a Queer perspective that deals with LOVE AND DISTANCE. It can be funny, sad, romantic, sexy – anything.

PRIZES

  • The Dekkoo Jury Award – One film will be selected. The winning film will be decided by the Dekkoo staff based on artistic merit. The winner will receive a cash award of $2500.00 and the opportunity to direct a Dekkoo-original short film with a production budget of $5000.00.
  • Audience Favorites – Four films will be selected. The four films that receive the most comments on that films page on Dekkoo.com will win $1000.00 each! Filmmakers are encouraged to ask fans to comment often!

Voting will be tallied through May 18th. Winners will be announced May 20th.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FILM

Submissions must be no more than 5-minutes in length and submitted via Dekkoo’s Dropbox Folder or a password-protected URL between Monday, May 4 and Sunday, May 10, 2020. All submissions are due no later than Sunday, May 10 at 11:59pm Eastern.

Submission specifications:

  • All films should be 1920×1080 or higher, H.264, preferably no vertical video. All submissions uploaded to Dropbox should be clearly labeled with the film title and director (ex: Avengers_Whedon.mp4)
  • All films should be in English or have English subtitles.

To submit your film:

RULES & TERMS

It is FREE to submit your film. There is no entrance fee! As an added bonus, all filmmakers who submit a film to the challenge (as long as it is accepted by Dekkoo) will receive a free 6-month Dekkoo-subscription.

  • Entrants must abide by laws and guidelines concerning quarantine and self-isolation according to their local regulations.
  • Films must be submitted as an online streaming video via the Dekkoo Dropbox Folder or a password-protected streaming URL.
  • If you change the password or link after submitting, you must email Dekkoo at digital@dekkoo.com immediately with that change so we may update accordingly. If the Festival is not notified of the change and the link is found to be inactive or the password to be incorrect, the submission may be deemed ineligible.
  • If a film is accepted, the filmmaker agrees to allow Dekkoo to edit beginning and/or ending credits down for the purpose of time as well as use film footage and audio for promotional purposes.
  • The submitter must be entitled to submit the film and the legal rights to screen it.
  • Submission does not guarantee acceptance. Dekkoo will review all submissions and the submitter will be notified if the film has been approved. Submitter will then be required to sign a Dekkoo Licensing Agreement before the Submission is accepted.
  • By submitting your film you agree to grant Dekkoo exclusive streaming rights to the film for a period of three (3) months. Winners agree to grant Dekkoo exclusive streaming rights to the film for a period of three (3) years.
  • Dekkoo reserves the right to use stills and images for promotional or press needs.
  • Films must be original work. Applicants are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary rights and permissions for third-party materials included in their films, including but not limited to music, trademarks, logos, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights.
  • We just want to say this clearly, one more time, MUSIC MUST BE ORIGINAL or you must have express consent to use the music in your film.
  • Dekkoo expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility for any violations of the foregoing.

BY SUBMITTING THE MATERIAL, I/WE HEREBY AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND DEFEND THE FESTIVAL, ITS EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AFFILIATES FROM ALL LIABILITY, CLAIMS, AND DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMISSION AND FROM ANY FEES AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, THAT ANY OF THEM MAY INCUR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.

New This Week – 4/24/20

Available now, one month before DVD!

Brothers-in-law Sasha, a meek farmhand, and Dima, a policeman, have always had a fraught relationship. When the two set out on a trip together through the desolate, wide-open country of Siberia, the pair soon become not only travel companions, but secret lovers. ‘Siberia & Him’ is a available to stream now, exclusively on Dekkoo!

Mickaël, a pig farmer in rural France, finds his search for an amorous connection interrupted by the sudden return of the charming and youthful Paul. ‘Magnetic Harvest’ is available now on Dekkoo!

‘Trade’ is the story of two men, one a streetwise hustler, the other a straight-laced lawyer, who meet and form a relationship that brings to light who they really are. Stream ‘Trade’ now on Dekkoo!

_______________________

Coming next week: A film about the exhuberance of youth and first love. Mixed with juuuust a touch devastating pain and sadness.

Watch a short clip from the powerful new drama Label Me

No kissing. No passive penetration. For Waseem (Renato Schuch) the rules are very clear. Its only when Lars (Nikolaus Benda) pays him for sex that he can sleep with a man and still feel secure in his heterosexuality.

One of these men is a refugee from Syria living in a shelter, the other is a wealthy German with a loft apartment – the differences couldn’t be more apparent and yet both men find themselves connected by a sincere interest in one another. Their relationship is rooted in a constant alternation between dominance and a longing for closeness. The playful power struggle between the two of them reveals their inability to hide their fears and longings – and to keep up their carefully constructed facades.

While both men struggle to uphold the labels they keep in their heads, their friendship starts to pose a very realistic threat within the Waseem’s shelter.

Not quite a short film, yet not quite a feature (at sixty minutes) the multiple award-winning Label Me is a powerful cross-cultural romantic drama from German writer-director Kai Kreuser. Label Me is currently available to watch on Dekkoo, along with the first two season’s of Kreuser’s sexy and provocative gay series Kuntergrau.

Watch a short clip from Label Me below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 4/17/20

‘Twilight’ star Booboo Stewart stars as a Chinese-American teen with Asperger’s syndrome who begins investigating the secret life of his late older brother. Joan Chen, BD Wong and “Glee” star Harry Shum Jr. co-star in this moving family drama from writer-director Quentin Lee. ‘White Frog’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo.

Fourteen-year-old J goes by the pronoun ‘They’ and is exploring their gender identity while taking hormone blockers to postpone puberty. After two years of medication and therapy, J has to make a decision about whether or not to transition. Stream ‘They’ now on Dekkoo!

International Chrysis was a New York “show girl” and drag queen. Surreal herself, Chrysis was one of Salvador Dali’s inner circle, a woman from the waist up, a man from the waist down. The movie penetrates Chrysis’ hidden world of transsexual and drag queens, hormones, drugs and prostitution, a dark world she lights up with humor, wit and glamour. ‘Split: Portrait of a Drag Queen’ is available now on Dekkoo.

_____________________________

Coming Next Week: Two men fall in love in a run-down town of Siberia, Russia.

Short Film Spotlight: The Fish Curry

A gorgeous, deeply personal animated short film from Indian writer-director Abhishek Verma, The Fish Curry follows Lalit Ghosh, a twenty-eight-year-old man who decides to come-out to his conservative parents.

Lalit is in love with a man, his very own roommate, Ashutosh Gautam. Planing out his day, he decides to cook his father’s favorite dish, a traditional fish curry recipe he learned from a famous radio cook show. He prepares the dish with effort and serves his father the delicious fish curry and confronts his sexuality over the dinner table.

Gaining his family’s acceptance proves a difficult task, especially for his parents. The societal structure and prejudices related to homosexuality is huge, specifically in Indian societies. But will Lalit’s dad love the delicious fish curry?

The short trailer below will give you a sense of the style on display in The Fish Curry. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 4/10/20

Despite clear rules, the continuously growing relationship between the straight Syrian refugee Waseem and his German customer Lars starts to pose a threat within the reality of Waseem’s shelter. ‘Label Me’ is streaming now on Dekkoo.

A cynical counselor at a crisis hotline finds himself in a life or death situation when a young man calls and threatens to kill three people and then himself. ‘Crisis Hotline’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Arthur is a single dad, struggling with the care for his seven-year-old son Max and the combination of his secret life as a drag queen. Stream ‘Hello Stranger’ now on Dekkoo!

___________________

Coming next week: A film where a gender nonconforming teenager walks through their neighborhood and is greeted with dignity. 

New This Week – 4/3/20

Pedro, a 70-year-old gay nurse, is taking care of Daniela, his ailing transgender friend. In order to find her a vacant hospital bed, he decides to help an arrested and wounded criminal to escape. ‘Greta’ is now streaming on Dekkoo!

While Montreal is in the throes of a string of kidnappings targeting young boys, ten-year-old Felix is finishing his school year in the seemingly quiet suburb where he lives. A sensitive boy with a vivid imagination, Felix is afraid of everything. Little by little, his imaginary demons begin to mirror those of the truly disturbing world around him. Stream ‘Demons’ now on Dekkoo!

Jimmy Park is visiting home for the first time in years and has nothing to show for his time living overseas in Seoul. But old tensions come to a head when he confronts his homophobic sister at a family dinner. ‘Zero One’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo!

In this inspiring animated short film, a young man comes out to his father while preparing his favorite traditional dish. Watch ‘The Fish Curry’ on Dekkoo!

_____________________

Coming next week: A soulfully melancholy reflection on the extreme isolation of the refugee experience.

New This Week – 3/27/20

When a 30-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona spots a Spaniard from Berlin the attraction is subtle but persistent. After a missed connection on the beach, a third chance encounter escalates to a seemingly random hookup. But are these two merely beautiful strangers in a foreign city or are they part of each other’s histories – and maybe even their destinies? ‘End of the Century’ is now available on Dekkoo!

In Kuntergrau, coming out is part of the past while sex and love is mundane. A group of five gay friends between 17 and 24 deal with everyday problems and experience the meaning of love, sex, and friendship. Season 2 of Kuntergrau is now available to stream on Dekkoo!

Winn Morton – a visionary, 90-year-old costume designer who honed his craft on Broadway and with Ringling Brothers Circus – brings over-the-top fantasy and sparkle to a traditional debutante pageant in East Texas. Watch ‘The Queen’s New Clothes’ on Dekkoo!

________________________

Coming next week: “…a thematically ambitious but narratively very intimate and compassionate story of human relationships.” – The Hollywood Reporter

New This Week – 3/20/20

Xolani, a lonely factory worker, travels to the rural mountains with the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best-kept secret, Xolani’s entire existence begins to unravel. ‘The Wound’ is now playing on Dekkoo!

Inspired by true events, ‘Lúbtha’ follows the story of a teenager dealing with his sexuality whilst having to grow up in early 90s Northern Ireland. ‘Lúbtha’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Dallas is a succesful executive with a beautiful wife. Austin is his gay younger brother. Each thinks the other “has it so good.” When they switch places due to a strange twist of fate they both discover not everything is always as it seems. Stream ‘My Brother’s Shoes’ now on Dekkoo!

________________________

Coming next week: A powerful love story, elegantly told.

New This Week – 3/13/20

Three queer characters of wildly different backgrounds – a closeted young African-American man, a gender non-conforming artist and a smooth-talking media mogul – find their lives connected through fate, work, family love and donuts in this thoughtful, sexy and deeply heartfelt new Dekkoo-original series. Stream the first season of ‘Stranger Hearts’ now exclusively on Dekkoo!

College freshman Damien is struggling to stay focused on his studies – and not on all the shirtless jocks, hot frat boys and handsome intellectuals at his new school. His self-discipline is tested, however, when a manipulative college senior enters the picture. Meanwhile, Damien’s cousin Kendall embarks on his own journey of self-discovery when he reconnects with a cute church boy from his past. Binge the first season of H.I.M. now on Dekkoo!

A single, awkward business man finds himself attracted to his hunky, ride-share driver but loses any chance with him when they pick up an annoying passenger who wants the driver for himself. ‘Luber’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

_____________________________

Coming next week: A stunning debut from South African filmmaker John Trengove,