Short Film Spotlight: Thank You, Places

With numerous short films to their names, we have become big fans of collaborative filmmakers Jono Mitchell and Madison Hatfield. Their work is intelligent, heartfelt and unapologetically queer.

Thank You, Places, the latest short co-directed by Hatfield and Taylor Coriell and starring Mitchell, is a winning romantic comedy about a backstage breakup that comes at an inopportune time.

The 8-minute film follows actors Grant and Jimmy (Mitchell and Braian Rivera Jimenez), who fell for one another while working together on what they both admit is an absolutely dreadful community theater play.

Now that Grant has dumped Jimmy before the play’s run has ended, they have to find a way to make it through a performance without killing one another or potentially ruining their already terrible stage production further.

Thank You, Places is a love letter to theater, queer romance and the jaded and idealistic artists that are always at war inside each of us.

Watch a short teaser trailer for Thank You, Places 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.

All current episodes of ‘Danny Will Die Alone’ are now available to stream on Dekkoo!

All episodes from the first two seasons of Danny Will Die Alone are now available on Dekkoo!

Join lead actor and creator Jack Tracy on a journey through Danny’s disastrous dating life as he attempts to find love online while embarking on adventures in openness, polyamory, sex drive compatibility, feminization and, naturally, fisting!

New to this season is the addition of Jordan Bell as Danny’s regular hookup Matty, who can go toe to toe with Danny in dishing it out. He’s a fuck and a foil for Danny throughout the season. We also welcome back first season alumnae Lauren Montes as best friend Sally and Michael Motkowski as paralegal, and prior date, Kyle. Danny’s dog Maxi is also sprinkled in for a bit of cuteness!

With a longer format this season, Danny is able to explore the many different quirks of online dating much deeper than before, with comedy just as outrageous and biting as ever. We’ve also amped up the sex scenes, setting up the season as a truly ‘Not Safe for Work’ affair!

Will Danny finally find love? Based on his track record, it’s unlikely! But in Season 2, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of laughs – both ‘with’ and ‘at’ Danny – along the way.

Check out the trailer for the newest season below along with a special ‘Dekkoo In Depth’ interview with series creator and star Jack Tracy . All episodes of Danny Will Die Alone are now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Touching

A hidden secret borne of mutual self-discovery hides behind the bedroom door of brothers David and Marek (Herman Tajovský and Krystof Brand).

Though it all starts out as relatively innocent experimentation, Marek starts to feel that their curiosity has crossed the limits of brotherly love. When he begins to distance himself, the younger David struggles to understand why his beloved older brother’s attitude has suddenly shifted.

A mesmerizing 39-minute short film from Czech writer-director Dominik György, The Touching has a timeless quality that fits perfectly with the narrative’s boyhood coming-of-age themes. Filmed in black and white in a 1.33 aspect ratio, the film feels like it could have been made during just about any time over the last sixty years.

Handling deeply uncomfortable subject matter with intelligence, style and grace, the film earned numerous awards at festivals all around the world – and marked György as a distinct cinematic voice worth keeping an eye on. As of now, his resume only includes shorts, but we can’t wait to see what he’s able to do with a feature length film.

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

Norbert Leo Butz and Cheri Oteri star in the poignant gay family dramedy ‘Give or Take’

Losing a parent or loved one is never easy, but it’s even more difficult when the relationship is already strained. In Give or Take, an open-hearted family dramedy from director Paul Riccio, a young man learns to reconcile the anger he feels toward his late father with a little help from an unlikely ally.

Co-writer Jamie Effros stars are Martin, a disillusioned New Yorker who travels back to his Cape Code home in the wake of his father’s passing. Once there, he works to settle his dad’s estate and prepare his childhood house for sale.

The situation is made tricky when he comes face-to-face with troubling memories, old friends he wished to leave behind and, perhaps most notably, his father’s late-in-life, live-in boyfriend Ted (played by two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz).

With few walls to separate them, Martin and Ted must learn to put their differences aside and negotiate how they’re willing to honor the memory of the man they both loved… in very different ways.

Co-starring ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum Cheri Oteri, Give or Take is a funny and deeply heartfelt family comedy about love, loss, empathy, acceptance and what it truly means to come home.

Watch the trailer for Give or Take below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Skinny Fat

In Skinny Fat, a short Welsh comedy based on real events by writer-director Mathew David, a gay man confronts his insecurities in a store changing room, triggering him to relive a past trauma.

The filmmaker also stars as Mathew, a 33-year-old man shopping with his mom, Bernie (played by British comedy legend Ruth Madoc). Trying to find the perfectly fitting shirt proves difficult: the smalls are too small everything else is too big.

Mathew’s belly fat becoming the all-consuming focus of his attention causes his mother to be concerned about his behavior. Flashbacks to an abusive relationship with his ex-boyfriend only lead him deeper down the rabbit hole.

Being a loving mother, Bernie tries, through kindness and charm, to break him out of this dangerous path of self-sabotage. But can she pull him out of the darkness? Will Mathew find a way to be happy in his own skin? Or will he be destined to live in fear of his own body?

Watch a clip from Skinny Fat below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A couple crafts their future in the romantic Argentine drama ‘What We Wrote Together’

From writer-director Nicolás Teté, What We Wrote Together is a new feature film that portrays one particular moment in the life of a couple.

Mariano and Juan (Santiago Magariños and Ezequiel Martinez), two men in their mid-thirties, have been dating for more than six years. They share a dog and a quiet, seemingly happy life together.

Now that Juan, a novelist, has achieved some career success, the pair decide to pursue Mariano’s lifelong dream of running a plant nursery in the mountains. Just as the pair begin adjusting to their new environment – and Juan starts working on his newest novel – they receive an unexpected visit from a friend who shares some news that will have untold effects on their best laid plans.

Though they thought they were escaping the city for a peaceful new life, the couple soon find themselves dealing with uncertainty, resentment, trauma, ego and questions about what each of them really wants from life – and whether those individual aspirations align with their shared goals as a couple.

Featuring truly charming performances from the two adorable lead actors, What We Wrote Together is a sexy and thought-provoking romantic comedy-drama about true partnership – and all the baggage that comes along with it.

Watch the trailer for What We Wrote Together below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.