EXCLUSIVE: London-based sales outfit Rapt Films International has acquired worldwide sales rights to Benjamin Howard’s debut US film Riley and will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes Market.
The pic charts the life of a talented teenage athlete who begins to unravel when his burgeoning queer identity competes against his idea of what it means to be a man.
The film stars Jake Holley (Wake) as the titular Dakota Riley. Supporting roles are filled by Colin McCalla (Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, 9-1-1)), Riley Quinn Scott, Connor Storrie, and Rib Hillis.
Based on writer-director Howard’s real-life experiences as a high-school American football player struggling to come out, Riley is a feature expansion of Howard’s UCLA graduate short film Rendezvous.