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Riley (film)

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Riley
Poster
Directed byBenjamin Howard
Written byBenjamin Howard
Produced by
  • Tommy Anderson
  • Benjamin Howard
  • Laura Scarano
Starring
  • Jake Holley
  • Colin McCalla
  • Riley Quinn Scott
  • Connor Storrie
  • Rib Hillis
CinematographyMichael Elias Thomas
Edited byBenjamin Howard
Music byJerik Centeno
Production
company
Windsor Film Company
Release date
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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

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Dakota Riley's life of being a high school jock becomes complicated once he discovers that he identifies as queer.

Cast

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  • 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

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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 East County, San Diego.[2]

Release

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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

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Critical response

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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

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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

References

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  1. ^ Scheetz, Cameron (2023-09-26). "WATCH: A closeted football player tackles identity & masculinity in this coming-of-age sports drama". Queerty. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  2. ^ a b c Chadive, Sanjana (2023-09-23). "'Riley': A UCLA alumnus' love letter to community and queer youth". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  3. ^ Bernstein, Paula (2023-10-30). "BendFilm Festival 2023: What Filmmakers Need to Know Before Applying to Film Festivals | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  4. ^ Fortner, Jillian (2023-10-13). "Bend Film Festival moviegoers celebrate two decades of captivating cinema". KTVZ. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  5. ^ Kahnert, Eric (2023-11-15). 'Riley' premieres at San Diego Film Week. KFMB-TV. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  6. ^ "Sedona International Film Festival "Riley" Screening - Signals AZ". Signals AZ. 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  7. ^ "RILEY | SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL". 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  8. ^ "2024 Florida Film Festival". Eventive. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  9. ^ "38th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival full programme announced". BFI. 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  10. ^ Dcosta, Vidal (2024-03-10). "'Riley' BFI Flare Review (2023)". The Movie Buff. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  11. ^ Fatah, Ris (2023-10-01). "Queerguru's Ris Fatah reviews RILEY a beautiful queer coming-of-age film from Benjamin Howard". Queerguru. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  12. ^ Cline, Rich (2024-03-15). "Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films". Shadows on the Wall. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  13. ^ Baker, Neil (2024-03-13). "Riley (review) - BFI Flare 2024". Cinerama Film. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  14. ^ Winning, Josh (2024-03-16). "Riley (2023)". Radio Times. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
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