Benjamin Howard (filmmaker) explained

Benjamin Howard is an American film director, screenwriter, film producer and film editor who is known for the films Deviant (2018), Rendezvous (2021), and Riley (2023).

Early life

Howard grew up in East County, San Diego,^[1] graduating from Valhalla High School in 2013.^[2] He received a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production / Directing at UCLA^[3] after briefly attending SDSU.^[4] His father John Howard is a sportscaster at KFMB-TV.^[5]

Career

In 2017, Howard remade the music video for Do They Know It's Christmas? with developmentally disabled students.^[6] His short film Deviant premiered in 2018 at Dances with Films^[7] and won a Student Emmy Award in 2019.^[8] Howard made the short film Rendezvous at UCLA, which screened at FilmOut San Diego LGBT Film Festival in 2022.^[9]

Riley

See main article: Riley (film). Howard's debut film Riley premiered at Calgary International Film Festival and is an expansion of his short film Rendezvous. He based the story on his own experiences as a high school athlete trying to come out. Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo at Manila Bulletin praised the film^[10] and it won eight San Diego Film Awards.^[11]

Filmography

Short films!Year!Title!Director!Writer!Producer!Notes

2015	Toast
2016	The Final Days of Elliot Morrison
	No Teeth
	Disconnect
	Sleep on It
2017	Adolescence
2018	Deviant
2019	Snakeskin
2020	Immersion
2021	We All Die Alone				First assistant director
	Rendezvous

Feature films!Year!Title!Director!Writer!Producer

2023	Riley
2024	Adjunct

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chadive . Sanjana . 2023-09-23 . 'Riley': A UCLA alumnus' love letter to community and queer youth . 2024-07-28 . Daily Bruin.
2. Web site: Fulcher . Albert . 2024-07-26 . East County filmmaker earns awards for first feature film . 2024-07-28 . East County Californian . en-US.
3. Web site: Coming Of Age with Benjamin Howard . 2024-07-28 . . en-US.
4. Web site: 2019-12-17 . 5Q's w/Benjamin Howard "Deviant" Director . 2024-07-29 . THE BSFF . en-US.
5. Web site: Howard . Michael . 2024-07-24 . East County filmmaker Benjamin Howard sweeps San Diego Film Awards with Biopic-like feature 'Riley' . 2024-07-28 . East County Magazine.
6. It's 'action' for a new group of filmmakers . 2017-12-20 . Zevely . Jeff . en-US . 2024-07-28 . KFMB-TV.
7. Web site: DEVIANT Dances With Films . 2024-07-29 . en-US.
8. Web site: Ntim . Zac . 2024-05-10 . Rapt Films Boards Queer Sports Drama 'Riley' And Will Launch Sales At Cannes Market . 2024-07-28 . . en-US.
9. Web site: Accomando . Beth . Beth Accomando . 2022-09-08 . FilmOut celebrates 22nd year of showcasing LGBTQ movies . 2024-07-28 . . en.
10. Web site: Lamentillo . Anna Mae Yu . Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo . 2024-04-06 . Benjamin Howard's 'Riley': A directorial debut that captures the heart of coming out . 2024-07-28 . . en.
11. Web site: Lai . Alex . 2024-06-30 . San Diego-based film wins 8 awards, a love letter to East County upbringing . 2024-07-28 . . en-US.