Arts & Entertainment
Dekkoo invites submissions for $10,000 ‘Love and Distance’ short film competition
Are you an aspiring filmmaker looking for a way to flex your creative muscles during this time of global hardship? Dekkoo, the premiere subscription-based streaming service dedicated to gay men, might have just the motivation you need to get started, right now.
In its commitment to giving back and inspiring creativity, the queer entertainment platform is launching a one-week short film challenge, in which creators could win a cut of $10,000.00 in prizes.
With the pandemic putting a spotlight on our relationships with others and ourselves, the theme for the Dekkoo competition is “Love and Distance.” What do relationships in the time of quarantine look like? How do they function? Are you dating from a distance, or are you home alone and loving it.? Dealing with romance and heartbreak while social distancing or flirting from far away?
Filmmakers are invited to shoot and submit a 5-minute maximum length short film telling a queer story that deals with love and distance. It can be funny, sad, romantic, sexy – anything.
But get your camera rolling fast – submissions need to be in by May 10, with voting to be tallied through May 18 and winners announced May 20.
Details are below:
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 $2,500.00 and the opportunity to direct a Dekkoo-original short film with a production budget of $5,000.00.
Audience Favorites
• Four films will be selected. The four films that receive the most comments on that films page on Dekkoo.com will win $1,000.00 each! Filmmakers are encouraged to ask fans to comment often!
How to Submit your Film:
First, complete this entry form.
Next, send us your film via Dropbox.
You can also submit your film by sending a password protected link to [email protected].
Guidelines:
• 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 languages are welcome, but non-English submissions must have English subtitles.
• 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.
• 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.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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