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.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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