Deviant (film)

Deviant is a 2018 drama short film directed by Benjamin Howard and written by Howard and James Hall. The film stars Rudy Pankow, Mike Burnell, Krystina Montemurro and Court Rutter.

Deviant
Poster
Directed byBenjamin Howard
Written by
  • James Hall
  • Benjamin Howard
Produced by
Starring
  • Rudy Pankow
  • Mike Burnell
  • Krystina Montemurro
  • Court Rutter
CinematographyAlex Niknejad
Edited by
  • James Hall
  • Benjamin Howard
Music byTyler Rivera Stein
Distributed byOmeleto
Release date
  • June 9, 2018 (2018-06-09)
Running time
10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6,500

Plot

In the 1960s, a sexually conflicted teenager escapes the tortures of electrotherapeutic conversion therapy to find hope and acceptance.

Cast

Production

The project is Howard's undergraduate capstone film[2] made at San Diego State University in the spring of 2017.[3] He said "Deviant takes a young teenager, whose sexual preference comes into direct conflict with his faith and family."[4] In scouting locations for the church, members of the production visited numerous LGBT-friendly churches in the San Diego area. Several turned down the production due to the script's mature themes. The church sequences were eventually filmed at Kensington Community Church, in San Diego.

Release

Deviant premiered on June 9, 2018 at Dances with Films.[1] It went on to screen at Outfest, HollyShorts Film Festival,[5] Cleveland International Film Festival,[6] Nashville Film Festival,[7] GI Film Festival San Diego[8][9][10] and San Diego International Film Festival.[11] The film was distributed by Omeleto on April 20, 2020. It has amassed over a quarter-million views since its release online.[12]

Reception

Before the film's festival premiere, Howard was recognized with an award for Best Directing at San Diego State's Emerging Filmmakers Showcase in the spring semester, 2017. In 2019, Deviant received a Student Emmy Award[13] at the Pacific Southwest Chapter for National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[14]

The film received more than 20 awards and nominations over the year and a half it played on the festival circuit, including several for Pankow and Howard, for acting and directing, respectively. Howard used the film as part of his application to UCLA film school, and was admitted into the program in 2018.

Accolades
List of awards and nominations
Festival Year Award Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Pacific Southwest Emmy Award 2019 Student Programming - Short Form Deviant Won [14]
Fine Cut Festival of Films 2019 Best Student Film Deviant Nominated [15]
San Diego Film Awards 2019 Best Narrative Short Film Benjamin Howard Won
Best Direction: Narrative Short Film Benjamin Howard Won
Best Cinematography: Narrative Short Film Alex Niknejad Won
Best Production Design: Narrative Short Film Phuong Truong Won
Best Editing: Narrative Short Film Benjamin Howard Nominated
James Hall Nominated
Best Costume: Narrative Short Film Alejandra Guerrero Nominated
Prison City Film Festival 2019 The Captain's Award (Best Director) Benjamin Howard Won [16]
The C.O. Award (U.S. Narrative Short) Benjamin Howard Nominated
James Hall Nominated
Ricardo Osuna Nominated
The Major's Award (Narrative Short - Best Actor) Rudy Pankow Nominated
The Major's Award (Narrative Short - Best Supporting Actor) Court Rutter Nominated
The Desk Boss Award (Best in Genre: Drama) Benjamin Howard Nominated
James Hall Nominated
Ricardo Osuna Nominated
U.S. Short Film Award (Best Overall Submission) Benjamin Howard Nominated
James Hall Nominated
Ricardo Osuna Nominated
Humboldt International Film Festival 2019 Honorable Mention for Acting Rudy Pankow Won [17]
Court Rutter Won
Krystina Montemurro Won
Mike Burnell Won
San Diego Film Week 2019 Jury Award Benjamin Howard Won

References
  1. "DEVIANT | Dances With Films". Dances with Films. 2018-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  2. "5Q's w/Benjamin Howard "Deviant" Director". Borrego Springs Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  3. Shields, Judy (2018-09-21). "KCET's Fine Cut Festival of Films Awards and Screening | The Hollywood Times". The Hollywood Times. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  4. "Deviant". Prison City Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  5. "Official Selections 2018 —". HollyShorts Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  6. "Deviant - Cleveland International Film Festival :: March 22 - April 1, 2023". Cleveland International Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  7. "Nextgen Program 5" (PDF). Nashville Film Festival. 2019-10-06.
  8. "Deviant". GI Film Festival San Diego. 2019-09-27. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  9. Fulcher, Albert (2019-09-13). "3 LGBTQ short films not to miss". LGBTQ San Diego County News. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  10. Cristi, A. A. (2019-09-10). "Two Weeks Away From Opening Night, GI Film Festival San Diego Announces Award Nominees". Broadway World. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  11. "Locals Theater". San Diego International Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  12. "Deviant | Drama Short Film". Omeleto. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  13. "Riley". Film Independent. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  14. Newell, Ena (2019-05-03). "2019 Emmy Award Nominees". National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  15. "KCET, Fine Cut, Deviant". KCET.org. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  16. "THE 2019 PCFF NOMINEES". Prison City Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  17. "2019, 52ND ANNUAL HUMBOLDT INT'L FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS". Retrieved 2022-03-09.
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