Category: Transgender

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.

‘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.

Théodore Pellerin and Félix Maritaud star in the irresistible romantic drag drama ‘Solo’

Théodore Pellerin stars in Solo as Simon, a rising star in Montreal’s drag scene who vibrates with the passion of his adopted artistic community.

Performing lively disco pop numbers weekly at his local club, he’s friendly with his fellow drag queens and supported by his sister, who delights in designing increasingly elaborate and beautiful costumes for his act.

When he meets Oliver, an alluring new recruit played by French BPM and Sauvage/Wild heartthrob Félix Maritaud, their irresistible chemistry sparks an electric romance and a fulfilling creative collaboration. Their dynamic is mesmerizing and tender until Oliver’s dominant instincts and destructive behavior jeopardize Simon’s space in the spotlight.

Simon has plenty of experience with tempestuous personalities – his mother, a bona fide opera diva, is back in his life after years on the road – but can he get out from under the shadow of their influence?

Beautifully charting the highs and lows of falling in love and finding yourself in art, writer-director Sophie Dupuis’s Solo is a passionate feat of character-driven storytelling and visual extravagance, celebrating the drag world in all its splendor and heartache.

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

Last call invites unexpected romance in the stylish and sexy short film ‘Velvet’

It’s finally last call after a slow night at the bar. Marcus (Chris Jehnert), a shy twink expecting a first date, has been sitting alone after being stood up.

His cute, pouty face has caught the attention of Ben (Achilles Mulkey), a charming transgender bartender dressed like a king with a robe, scepter and crown.

Once the two are alone, Ben uses his considerable charm and positive attitude to coax Marcus out of his shell. The two share an unexpectedly special night together – filled with lust, dancing, romance, and the sharing of sweet childhood memories. But will they meet again? Only the velvet robe knows for sure.

From co-directors Juliana Antoninus and Damon Beirne, Velvet is a heartfelt 10-minute short film about two people who, however briefly, become the kings of one another’s worlds.

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

The queer indie classic ‘Wild Tigers I Have Known’ comes to Dekkoo

Visionary director Cam Archer is a master at portraying the lives of teens in awkward gay love.

Originally released in 2006, Wild Tigers I Have Known was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival – as well as countless LGBTQ+ film festivals all around the globe. The film stars Malcolm Stumpf as Logan, a middle schooler who is crushing on an older classmate named Rodeo (Patrick White). As the pair spend time together, Logan’s infatuation grows.

Exploring gender fluidity for the first time, he invents a female persona named ‘Leah’ and starts making sexually provocative phone calls to Rodeo at night, hoping to get even closer to the object of his affection. Meanwhile, wild mountain lions have been straying into the populated areas of town. When one happens to wander onto the school’s campus and is shot dead, it signifies an important moment in Logan’s coming-of-age.

For the film’s 15th Anniversary, indie distribution label Altered Innocence put together a restored version of this long-unavailable experimental queer classic.

Kim Dickens and Fairuza Balk co-star in this wildly inventive, achingly sympathetic ode to the highs and lows of adolescent love.

Watch the trailer for Wild Tigers I Have Known below. The newly restored version 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.

‘Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution’ examines the 1980s LGBTQ+ punk scene

Started in the 1980s as a fabricated movement intended to ‘punk’ the punk scene, Queercore quickly became a real-life cultural community of LGBTQ music and movie-making revolutionaries.

With this frank and fascinating feature-length documentary, director Yony Leyser (the filmmaker behind Chokehole, Desire Will Set You Free and William S. Burroughs: A Man Within) chronicles the start of the pseudo-movement through to the widespread rise of pop artists who used queer identity to push back against gay assimilation and homophobic punk culture.

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution is just what the title suggests: a ‘how-to-do-it’ guide for the next generation of queer radicals. The extensive participant list includes Bruce LaBruce, G.B. Jones, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, John Waters, Justin Vivian Bond, Lynn Breedlove, Silas Howard, Pansy Division, Penny Arcade, Kathleen Hanna, Kim Gordon, Deke Elash, Tom Jennings, Team Dresch and many, many more.

Watch the trailer for Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A father goes to great lengths to protect his son in the gripping drama ‘You’ll Never Be Alone’

Accomplished Chilean actor Sergio Hernández stars in You’ll Never Be Alone as Juan, the quiet, introverted manager of a mannequin factory who is hoping to be made partner after 25 years of devoted service.

At home, his 18-year-old son, Pablo (Andrew Bargsted), has dreams of stardom, studying dance at a respected art school. In addition to teaching neighborhood children choreographed dance numbers and clubbing with his best girlfriend on the weekends, Pablo’s life revolves around performing, auditioning and occasionally sneaking around to sleep with another boy from the neighborhood.

While Pablo and his widowed, hard-working dad don’t have a whole lot in common, neither seems to let that get in the way of caring for each other. Everything changes, however, when Pablo is brutally attacked by a group of homophobic kids.

With legal action and medical insurance proving costly, Juan makes the desperate decision to start seeking out his own form of justice.

Based on true events, this impressive debut film from musician Alex Anwandter tells a gripping story of betrayal and redemption. You’ll Never Be Alone is a stirring testament to a father’s love and a powerful treatise on Chile’s generational divide.

Watch the trailer for You’ll Never Be Alone below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.