| Riley | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Benjamin Howard |
| Written by | Benjamin Howard |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Michael Elias Thomas |
| Edited by | Benjamin Howard |
| Music by | Jerik Centeno |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Dark Star Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Riley is a 2023 Americancoming-of-agedrama film written and directed byBenjamin Howard in hisfeature film debut. The film stars Jake Holley, Colin McCalla, Riley Quinn Scott, Connor Storrie andRib Hillis.
The film screened atCalgary International Film Festival andBFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, where it was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
The structured life of a disciplined high school athlete starts to fall apart as his queer identity clashes with the expectations of who he is always been told to be.
The film is Howard'sfeature film debut[2] and issemi-autobiographical, with the film being based on his own experience as astudent athlete.[3] It was crowdfunded with the help ofSeed&Spark[4] andprincipal photography took place in April 2022, in and aroundEast County, San Diego.[3]
Riley held its world premiere atCalgary International Film Festival on September 24, 2023.[3] The US premiere took place at Bend Film Festival inBend, Oregon.[5] It later screened at San Diego Film Week,[6]Sedona International Film Festival,[7]San Luis Obispo International Film Festival,[8] andFlorida Film Festival.[9] The European premiere was held atBFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in 2024.[10]
Vidal Dcosta at The Movie Buff gave the film an A+ claiming it "excels at tackling multiple issues that plague theprotagonist."[11] Ris Fatah at Queerguru scored the film 9/10 and said "Howard's feature-length drama is an impressive, authentic debut."[12] Rich Cline at Shadows on the Wall scored it 4 out of 5, saying "as the drama gets increasingly serious, the film grabs hold powerfully. So even if things begin to turn a bit melodramatic, there's truth in the way the story plays out."[13] Neil Baker at Cinerama Film praised the screenplay as it "captures a realism rarely seen in coming-of-age,coming-out movies."[14] Josh Winning atRadio Times scored it 3 out of 5 saying it has "sincere and beautifully shot exploration of young people figuring out their place in the world."[15]
| Festival | Year | Award | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BendFilm Festival | 2023 | Best Cinematography | Michael Elias Thomas | Nominated |
| Best Directing, Narrative Feature | Benjamin Howard | Nominated | ||
| Best Narrative Feature | Benjamin Howard | Nominated | ||
| Calgary International Film Festival | 2023 | International Narrative Competition | Benjamin Howard | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Week | 2023 | Best Drama Feature Film | Riley | Won |
| Florida Film Festival | 2024 | Best Narrative Feature | Benjamin Howard | Nominated |
| Riverside International Film Festival | 2024 | Audience Favorite | Benjamin Howard | Won |
| Founder's Award | Benjamin Howard | Won | ||
| Woods Hole Film Festival | 2024 | Best Feature - Drama | Benjamin Howard | Won |
| Bentonville Film Festival | 2024 | Narrative Feature Competition | Benjamin Howard | Nominated |
| Merlinka Festival | 2024 | Best Feature Film | Benjamin Howard | Nominated |