Disciplined high school athlete Dakota Riley lives his life within carefully-designed boundaries, a calculated blueprint upon which he’s formed the basis of his identity. But when the reality of his identity is thrown into disarray, Dakota is forced to confront the consequences of denying himself, or come to terms with who he really is.
Director's Bio:
Benjamin Howard is an Emmy-winning writer/director whose work often explores ‘coming-of-age’ themes related to identity. His short film Deviant premiered at Outfest in 2018 and won a Student Emmy Award in 2019. Since its release in 2021, the short has amassed a quarter-million views online. Benjamin's next short film, Rendezvous, was selected for UCLA’s Director’s Spotlight program. Rendezvous screened at Bend Film Festival in 2022. Benjamin returns to Bend in 2023 with Riley, his feature-length debut.
"We loved these finely drawn characters and the honest vulnerability portrayed here. The filmmaker makes it so easy to feel empathy and compassion for his protagonist—we feel the same anguish and turmoil as he does, and share the need to figure life out." –BendFilm Team
Film sponsored by Caldera Arts
Disciplined high school athlete Dakota Riley lives his life within carefully-designed boundaries, a calculated blueprint upon which he’s formed the basis of his identity. But when the reality of his identity is thrown into disarray, Dakota is forced to confront the consequences of denying himself, or come to terms with who he really is.
Director's Bio:
Benjamin Howard is an Emmy-winning writer/director whose work often explores ‘coming-of-age’ themes related to identity. His short film Deviant premiered at Outfest in 2018 and won a Student Emmy Award in 2019. Since its release in 2021, the short has amassed a quarter-million views online. Benjamin's next short film, Rendezvous, was selected for UCLA’s Director’s Spotlight program. Rendezvous screened at Bend Film Festival in 2022. Benjamin returns to Bend in 2023 with Riley, his feature-length debut.
"We loved these finely drawn characters and the honest vulnerability portrayed here. The filmmaker makes it so easy to feel empathy and compassion for his protagonist—we feel the same anguish and turmoil as he does, and share the need to figure life out." –BendFilm Team
Film sponsored by Caldera Arts