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.
HoMA Artist Spotlight:
Mitchel Viernes
HoMA is spotlighting the work of artists in our community during these unprecedented times. Earlier this fall, Assistant Curator of Film and Performance Sarah Fang sat down for a virtual conversation with local filmmaker Mitchel Viernes. They talked about what he’s been up to during the pandemic, how he got started in filmmaking, and what keeps him motivated to keep creating.
Mitchel Viernes is a filmmaker from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. After receiving his first video camera as a birthday gift when he was 10, he followed his passion for visual storytelling while attending Moanalua High School, and eventually went on to receive his Bachelor of Media and Creative Technology at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Mitchel has since produced several short films and become heavily involved in the local filmmaking scene. In 2017, he received the ‘Ohina Greenlight Award for his Hawaiʻi Science Fiction short Kālewa under the mentorship of Black Panther co-writer Joe Robert Cole. Kālewa went on to premiere at festivals around the country and internationally.
Viernes’ latest feature, Water Like Fire, is making its world premiere at this year’s Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. The film is available to anyone in the United States virtually through the festival’s online platform and for in-person screenings at Consolidated Theaters Ward on Sunday, November 29th. His newest short, Charity, is also screening virtually in the Made in Hawaiʻi Shorts Program.