Private Project

YOUNG KING

As Diondre Howell re-adjusts to civilian life and struggles to cope with the scars of the Iraq war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most – his family.

  • Bryant T Griffin
    Director
  • Bryant T Griffin
    Writer
  • Selena Leoni
    Producer
    All I Ever Wanted, Eid Mubarak, JEROME, Bienvenidos a Los Angeles, Smile or Hug
  • Vincent Washington
    Key Cast
    "Diondre Howell"
    Bad Times at the El Royale
  • Vaughn Wilkinson
    Key Cast
    "Isaiah Howell"
    Straight Outta Compton
  • Tarra Riggs
    Key Cast
    "Zoe Howell"
    Ballast, The Help
  • James Arthur Sims
    Key Cast
    "James Howell"
    Instant Family
  • Kirby Griffin
    Key Cast
    "Fatimah Danel"
    Perfects
  • Vittoria Campaner
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Family
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 33 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 30, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • American Black Film Festival

    Best Actor
Director Biography - Bryant T Griffin

Bryant Griffin is an Emmy-nominated writer/director based in Los Angeles. He has an MFA in directing from UCLA and is noted for his love of crafting character-based stories that affect marginalized communities.

Bryant premiered a feature documentary "L.A. Rebellion: A Cinematic Movement" for PBS SoCal’s Artbound Series in October 2023, co-directed by Kitty Hu. Nominated for an LA Area Emmy, the film retells the personal experiences of the UCLA film school's first diverse group of filmmakers in 1969.

Bryant’s first narrative feature film, “Young King”, premiered at the American Black Film Festival 2024 and was awarded Best Actor for Vincent Washington. The film follows an African American Iraq War veteran who has been refused health benefits as he struggles with PTSD. The film was the recipient of the Arri Franz Wieser Grant in 2021.

Prior to UCLA, Bryant worked as a visual effects artist and supervisor at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Three years into my undergraduate degree, I dropped out and moved back home to live with family. For several years, I dealt with minor depression as I struggled to find a path for myself. I did what many African Americans do, instead of getting medical help, I went to church. My grandfather, the pastor, would often tell me stories of being a young man in the military, and how his service in the Korean War turned his life around. He insisted that a career in the military would help me too. Advice that many young black men, desperate for direction in their youth, receive. One of these individuals is the basis for the character of Diondre Howell.

As I went back to finish my degree at North Carolina State University, my friend enlisted in the National Guard. Three weeks after my first day of class, the September 11th attacks happened. Shortly after, my friend was deployed to Iraq. He was never the same. I often wonder if this could have been me.

"Young King" deals with the consequences of an American culture of toxic masculinity, guns and God. It is important to know that the consequences of wars that men and women of the armed forces fight never stay confined to a foreign battlefield; the effects of war always come home. The psychological effects of war on the men and women that serve often go under-reported, untreated, and it is the families of soldiers who are the least prepared to deal with these challenging problems.