''Deviant'' is a 2018

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by Benjamin Howard and written by Howard and James Hall. The film stars Rudy Pankow, Mike Burnell, Krystina Montemurro and Court Rutter.

Plot

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

Cast

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

Production

The project is Howard's thesis film made at San Diego State University. He said "''Deviant'' takes a young teenager, whose sexual preference comes into direct conflict with his faith and family." The church sequences were filmed at Kensington Community Church, in San Diego, CA.

Release

''Deviant'' premiered on June 9, 2018 at

Dances with Films Dances With Films is an annual independent film festival located in Los Angeles, California and was founded by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. Lineup Taking place every year since 1998, the festival is dedicated to representing true independent ...

. It screened at

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

HollyShorts Film Festival The HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Academy Award®-qualifying independent short film festival located in Hollywood, California. History Founded in 2005, the yearly festival programmes feature an eclectic mixture of short films of various g ...

, Cleveland International Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, GI Film Festival San Diego and

San Diego International Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) is an independent film festival in San Diego, California produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the ...

. The film was distributed by Omeleto.

Reception

In 2019, ''Deviant'' won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

at the Pacific Southwest Chapter for

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

. 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.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2018 short films American drama short films Films shot in San Diego Films set in San Diego LGBT-related short films American teen LGBT-related films 2010s historical drama films LGBT-related drama films 2018 drama films Films set in the 1960s Films about LGBT and religion 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Juvenile sexuality in films 2010s teen drama films American teen drama films Films about conversion therapy Films released on YouTube