Benjamin Howard is an Emmy- recognized filmmaker from East County San Diego. His narrative projects often explore themes related to identity, particularly through a ‘coming-of-age’ lens. Howard is the founder of Windsor Film Company. His debut feature “Riley,” which he wrote, produced and directed, premiered in 2023.
“Riley” tells the story of an extremely disciplined high school athlete, Dakota Riley, whose life begins to unravel when he begins identifying his sexual orientation, which competes against the idea of who he was supposed to be. But this arthouse drama is much more. The film also touches on themes very common in youth. Peer pressure, the struggles of expectations set by his father and himself, a teen’s sense of aloneness, and the value of friendships.
At the Film Consortium San Diego’s 2024 San Diego Film Awards in June, “Riley,” nominated for eight categories, swept all eight awards in his hometown. Best Original Screenplay by Howard, Best Supporting Actor Collin Mc- Calla who plays Riley’s best friend, Best Narrative Feature produced by Howard, Tommy Anderson, and Laura Scarano, Best Musical Score by Jerik Centeno, Best Lead Actor, Jake Holley who played Riley, Best Editing by Howard, Best Direction by Howard, and Best Cinematography by Michael Elias Thomas.
“Riley” is particularly inspired by Howard’s own teenage years as a high school football player.
“I was raised in El Cajon,” said Howard. “I went to Valhalla High School [Class of 2013].” Howard said they shot most of the movie in East County.
“We shot 22 days in San Diego and most of that time was spent in East County,” he said. “It was a really fun opportunity for me to make this film as personal that I could make it, because we were shooting in East County. Even as we were scouting locations in the months leading up to the shoot, we were wandering around these neighborhoods that I grew up in, used to go on dates in, and I realized more and more that not only is this is a coming of age movie about this high school football player, but it is also a love letter to my upbringing, my childhood, my community that I was raised in. I spent my formative years running up and down Jamacha and Campo. My brother went to Steele Canyon, and I went to Valhalla. It was fun to shoot in all of those areas.”
Howard said the film has not been released yet and is currently working on a distribution deal and hopes that the film will be available early next year with a potential small theatrical run, and available for streaming and rentals on different platforms.
Howard said his team has been playing at various film festivals over the past eight months.
“We have gotten some wonderful exposure on the festival circuit. It has been a wonderful ride for me to be able to travel around and represent the movie,” he said.
Howard said this movie is about being kinder to yourself.
“I think that what folks have resonated with, is that they see this character and they see a version of themselves in it,” he said. “Especially in high school, where your reputation, your friend group, and what people think about you is kind of life and death. Those are the stakes when you are growing up and you are 15 to 18 years old. That is all that matters.”
Howard said this film dives deep into the mind of this character who is so concerned and almost obsessed with these expectations that either he has had set for him by other people, or these expectations that he has set for himself.
“I want people to see it and say, ‘That was me.’ I was not alone, and I am not alone. All sorts of people are going through this,” he said. “Whether it is a struggle with your sexuality, which is specifically what this film is about. But it is much broader than that. It is a movie about trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be. Sometimes that person is not who we expected we wanted to be, but that does not mean that person is not worth being. I made a film that I would have benefitted from seeing 10 years ago when I was deep in the closet, and not sure if I was allowed to be who I was. I want that version of me from 10 years ago to see this movie and know that they are not alone and that things are going to be okay. I hope that audience is able to see that film and realize that.” A graduate of San Diego State University, Howard’s capstone project “Deviant” was recognized with a Student Emmy Award in 2019. In 2018, Howard moved to Los Angeles to pursue his graduate degree at UCLA. As a Bruin, his short film “Rendezvous” was selected for Director’s Spotlight, a collection of the best work to come out of the prestigious School of Theater, Film and Television. He earned his M.F.A. in Film Directing from UCLA in 2022.