Benjamin Howard (filmmaker)

For other people named Benjamin Howard, see Benjamin Howard (disambiguation).

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).

Benjamin Howard
Alma mater	Valhalla High School San Diego State University University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	2015–present
Known for	Riley
Notable work	Deviant
Father	John Howard

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

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.^[8] Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo at Manila Bulletin praised the film^[10] and it won eight San Diego Film Awards.^[5][11]

Filmography

Short films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
2015	Toast	Yes	Yes	Executive
2016	The Final Days of Elliot Morrison	Yes	Yes	Executive
	No Teeth	Yes	Yes	Executive
	Disconnect	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Sleep on It	Yes	Yes	Executive
2017	Adolescence	Yes	Yes	No
2018	Deviant	Yes	Co-writer	Co-producer	[7]
2019	Snakeskin	Yes	No	No
2020	Immersion	Yes	Yes	Co-producer
2021	We All Die Alone	No	No	No	First assistant director
	Rendezvous	Yes	Yes	Co-producer	[9]

Feature films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2023	Riley	Yes	Yes	Yes
2024	Adjunct	No	No	Executive

References

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

External links

• Benjamin Howard at IMDb
• Benjamin Howard at Rotten Tomatoes