Deviant (film)

2018 film by Benjamin Howard

Deviant

Poster

Directed by| Benjamin Howard
Written by|

* James Hall
* Benjamin Howard

Produced by|

* Brian DeGour
* Benjamin Howard
* Ricardo Osuna
* Wally Schlotter
* Rich Underwood

Starring|

* Rudy Pankow
* Mike Burnell
* Krystina Montemurro
* Court Rutter

Cinematography| Alex Niknejad
Edited by|

* James Hall
* Benjamin Howard

Music by| Tyler Rivera Stein
Distributed by| Omeleto

Release date

* June 9, 2018 (2018-06-09)

Running time

| 10 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $6,500

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.

## Plot

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

## Cast

[edit]

* Rudy Pankow
* Mike Burnell
* Krystina Montemurro
* Court Rutter[1]

## Production

[edit]

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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.[citation needed] Several turned down the production due to the script's mature themes.[citation needed] The church sequences were eventually filmed at Kensington Community Church, in San Diego.[citation needed]

## Release

[edit]

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

[edit]

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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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] Howard used the film as part of his application to UCLA film school, and was admitted into the program in 2018.[citation needed]

### Accolades

[edit]

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

[edit]

1. ^ a b "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. Archived from the original on 2022-06-15. 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. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
4. ^ "Deviant". Prison City Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
5. ^ "Official Selections 2018 —". HollyShorts Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
6. ^ "Deviant - Cleveland International Film Festival :: March 22 - April 1, 2023". Cleveland International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. 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. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. 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. ^ a b 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.

## External links

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* Deviant at IMDb
* Deviant at Letterboxd
* Deviant on YouTube