Riley (film)
Riley | |
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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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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Riley is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Benjamin Howard in his feature film debut. The film stars Jake Holley, Colin McCalla, Riley Quinn Scott, Connor Storrie and Rib Hillis.
The film screened at Calgary International Film Festival and BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival where it was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Plot
[edit]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.
Cast
[edit]- Jake Holley as Dakota Riley
- Colin McCalla as Jaeden Galloway
- Riley Quinn Scott as Skylar Braxton
- Connor Storrie as Liam Hauser
- Rib Hillis as Carson Riley
- J.B. Waterman as 'Obi Wan' Hookup
- René Ashton as Miriam Riley
- Marcus Winchester-Jones as Desmond
- Nigel Siwabessy as Hector
- Dallas Perry as Caleb Mitchell
- Alyssa Latson as Courtney
- Caroline Amiguet as Madame Dupont / French Teacher
- Miranda Guiles as Student
- Hunter Linton as Football Player
- Jose Rico as Football Player
- Sadie Scott as College Student
- Luca Vega as Football Player
- Kaleti Williams as Coach Drey
Production
[edit]The film is Howard's feature film debut[1] and is semi-autobiographical, with the film being based on his own experience as a student athlete.[2] It was crowdfunded with the help of Seed&Spark[3] and principal photography took place in April 2022, in and around East County, San Diego.[2]
Release
[edit]Riley held its world premiere at Calgary International Film Festival on September 24, 2023.[2] The US premiere took place at Bend Film Festival in Bend, Oregon.[4] It later screened at San Diego Film Week,[5] Sedona International Film Festival,[6] San Luis Obispo International Film Festival,[7] and Florida Film Festival.[8] The European premiere was held at BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in 2024.[9]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Vidal Dcosta at The Movie Buff gave the film an A+ claiming it "excels at tackling multiple issues that plague the protagonist."[10] Ris Fatah at Queerguru scored the film 9/10 and said "Howard's feature-length drama is an impressive, authentic debut."[11] 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."[12] Neil Baker at Cinerama Film praised the screenplay as it "captures a realism rarely seen in coming-of-age, coming-out movies."[13] Josh Winning at Radio 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."[14]
Accolades
[edit]Festival | Year | Award | Recipient(s) | Result |
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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 |
References
[edit]- ^ Scheetz, Cameron (September 26, 2023). "WATCH: A closeted football player tackles identity & masculinity in this coming-of-age sports drama". Queerty. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c Chadive, Sanjana (September 23, 2023). "'Riley': A UCLA alumnus' love letter to community and queer youth". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Bernstein, Paula (October 30, 2023). "BendFilm Festival 2023: What Filmmakers Need to Know Before Applying to Film Festivals | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ Fortner, Jillian (October 13, 2023). "Bend Film Festival moviegoers celebrate two decades of captivating cinema". KTVZ. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Kahnert, Eric (November 15, 2023). 'Riley' premieres at San Diego Film Week. KFMB-TV. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ "Sedona International Film Festival "Riley" Screening - Signals AZ". Signals AZ. February 14, 2024. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "RILEY | SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL". March 18, 2024. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Florida Film Festival". Eventive. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "38th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival full programme announced". BFI. February 13, 2024. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Dcosta, Vidal (March 10, 2024). "'Riley' BFI Flare Review (2023)". The Movie Buff. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Fatah, Ris (October 1, 2023). "Queerguru's Ris Fatah reviews RILEY a beautiful queer coming-of-age film from Benjamin Howard". Queerguru. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Cline, Rich (March 15, 2024). "Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films". Shadows on the Wall. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Neil (March 13, 2024). "Riley (review) - BFI Flare 2024". Cinerama Film. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Winning, Josh (March 16, 2024). "Riley (2023)". Radio Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Riley at IMDb
- Riley at Letterboxd
- Riley at Rotten Tomatoes
- Interview with Holley at ECHO
- 2023 films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2020s high school films
- 2020s LGBTQ-related drama films
- 2023 directorial debut films
- 2023 drama films
- 2023 LGBTQ-related films
- American coming-of-age drama films
- American teen LGBTQ-related films
- American teen drama films
- Films about juvenile sexuality
- Films set in San Diego
- Films shot in San Diego
- Films directed by Benjamin Howard
- Films about gender
- High school football films
- Semi-autobiographical films
- Features based on short films