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

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

  • 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

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

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

Critical response

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

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

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Kahnert, Eric (November 15, 2023). 'Riley' premieres at San Diego Film Week. KFMB-TV. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "RILEY | SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL". March 18, 2024. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "2024 Florida Film Festival". Eventive. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Cline, Rich (March 15, 2024). "Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films". Shadows on the Wall. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Baker, Neil (March 13, 2024). "Riley (review) - BFI Flare 2024". Cinerama Film. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Winning, Josh (March 16, 2024). "Riley (2023)". Radio Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley_(film)
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