# Riley (film)

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 and is semi-autobiographical, with the film being based on his own experience as a student athlete. It was crowdfunded with the help of Seed&Spark and principal photography took place in April 2022, in and around East County, San Diego.

## Release

Riley held its world premiere at Calgary International Film Festival on September 24, 2023. The US premiere took place at Bend Film Festival in Bend, Oregon. It later screened at San Diego Film Week, Sedona International Film Festival, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, and Florida Film Festival. The European premiere was held at BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in 2024.

## 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." Ris Fatah at Queerguru scored the film 9/10 and said "Howard's feature-length drama is an impressive, authentic debut." 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." Neil Baker at Cinerama Film praised the screenplay as it "captures a realism rarely seen in coming-of-age, coming-out movies." 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."

### Accolades

| Festival | Year | Award | Recipient(s) | Result |
| BendFilm Festival | 2023 | Best Cinematography | Michael Elias Thomas | Nominated |
| BendFilm Festival | 2023 | Best Directing, Narrative Feature | Benjamin Howard | Nominated |
| BendFilm Festival | 2023 | 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 |
| Riverside International Film Festival | 2024 | 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 |