MITCHEL MERRICK
MITCHEL MERRICK
Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Mitchel Merrick is a filmmaker who first fell in love with making movies with the camcorder he received as a birthday present when he was 10. He received his Bachelor's of Media and Creative Technology from the University of Waikato in Aotearoa, then returned home to continue developing his craft. After self-producing a series of shorts, he had the honor of participating in 'Ohina's inaugural filmmaker's lab and received mentorship for his script "Kālewa" under Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther). "Kālewa" received the Greenlight Award from 'Ohina along with full funding to be produced, then went on to screen at dozens of festivals around the world. Since "Kālewa" (2018), he has produced a handful of other shorts, a feature film "Water Like Fire" (2020), and continues to work on elevating Hawai'i-centered stories through film. View IMDb
“Director Mitchel Viernes crafts a story about grief and trauma, but also redemption in a way that is unique to Hawai‘i,
surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the almost zen-like action of surfing and being submerged in the healing powers of said ocean. As the title suggests, there is an antithesis to this healing, as life is ultimately fleeting, which these two siblings will soon realize in their bifurcated paths. Ultimately, in life, it’s what you make of it.” — Anderson Le, Hawaiʻi International Film Festival