THE HARBINGER to have its World Premiere at FANTASIA, July 18 & 20, 2022

I’m so excited to finally be able to share some news on the new film, THE HARBINGER. We’re headed back to the incredible Fantasia Film Festival for the World Premiere. We’ll have screenings the night of the 20th and the afternoon of the 22nd, with myself and a handful of others from the cast and production team present. It’s just two weeks away as I write this and I’m SO excited.

There’ll be more festival announcements to come, and some more exciting news.

CLICK HERE for the festival’s page for the film, where tickets can also be purchased for those within reach of this amazing event.

THE HARBINGER in Post Production

Well, there’s been a bit of a hiatus. We’ve all had a common hiatus, of course. When the pandemic hit over a year ago now, I was expecting to push one of my new screenplays, Walk With Me Into The Darkness, into a summertime shooting schedule. That quickly went overboard when the filmmaking world froze up.

I spent the first few months trying to stay active, editing my small pile of unproduced screenplays, hosting Zoom readings with students to keep engaged as much as I could. Then when summer hit and there was no end in sight to the virus, a new story came to me. One that could be set during these times, one that was contained enough to shoot safely during these times. With the help of my producing partner, Richard King, I gained enough steam to forge ahead. A month later there was a screenplay, and we were investigating how and where we might get it off the ground.

A few months later we were prepping a shoot in Binghamton, NY, with a growing team of extremely talented collaborators. And by February, there we were, crazily, on a feverish 15 day shoot in some extreme conditions, getting it done. I’m proud to say made it through without a single positive case of COVID, and a hell of a film in the can.

I’m a few cuts into my edit, and also busying finalizing the musical score before we send it into sound and color finishing, and ready it for next year's festival circuit. It hopefully will time out that people will be back in movie theaters, and celebrating festivals in person. I can’t wait to share our work.

ME...JANE on a National Tour!

A new cast of incredible actors are currently on the road, bringing our musical “Me…Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall” to audiences around the country at some top venues. I was there to help kick off the new version of last year’s Kennedy Center production, and this team of artists is incredible and the thought of so many children being inspired by Jane’s hopeful message makes me excited and proud for all involved.

They don’t have a collective Twitter to follow that I know of, but if you read this and are interested in knowing if they’re coming to your area between now and the end of their tour in May 2019, hit me up on Twitter and I’ll figure it out! @andymitton

THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW released around the world

This is admittedly a bit of a catch-all update from someone who needs to update his site more often. But I’m happy to say the movie formerly known as The Vermont House, now The Witch in the Window, is seeing multiple releases around the world, including on Shudder in the US, UK, Canada, and Germany, and theatrical releases in Scandinavia, Indonesia, and upcoming in Russia. I’ve been absolutely thrilled with the response, and have the great pleasure of representing the film at several amazing film festivals, including Fantasia, Grimmfest, Terror Molins, Scary Movies at the Lincoln Center, Telluride Horror, and more.

Please visit the project page for more information!

ME...JANE plays the Kennedy Center and is nominated for 5 Helen Hayes Awards!

I'm happy to report that after a successful run at the Kennedy Center's Family Theater this past winter, "Me...Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall" has been nominated for 5 Helen Hayes Awards, including for Best Ensemble, Best Production, Best Scenic/Projection Design, Best Director, and Best Adaptation. 

CLICK HERE to read the Post article 

The gang will be back together for the ceremony in DC on May 14 - looking forward!

WE GO ON released in US, UK, and Canada!

I'm proud to announce that WE GO ON is now available for streaming exclusively on AMC's Shudder channel, and the Blu-ray will be available on April 3rd. We're also available now on Shudder's new iterations in the UK and Canada. Here's the link to watch in the US. You can get a free trial, but if you like horror at all, I recommend the subscription - it's a fantastic service.

If you're still in the dark, find out more about the project here.

I'm very grateful to AMC, to our sales agents at Truffle Pictures, to all the festivals who hosted us, all the fans who kept us afloat, and the team of artists who collaborated in making this thing. It's been about two and half years since we shot it, and these are long roads with longer odds for independent movies these days. So to be seeing a great release is rewarding, and exciting. If you like the film, I hope you'll spread the word.

Thankfully, as ever,

Andy

New Film in the Can: THE VERMONT HOUSE!

Pretty much under the radar, I'm reteamed with WE GO ON producer Richard King to shoot another new film, a haunted house movie called THE VERMONT HOUSE. The script was modeled after an old farmhouse in Middlebury Vermont that became available to us by the college's grace, and its lead role of Simon was written for Alex Draper, who previously worked with me on YELLOWBRICKROAD. I'm serving as writer, director, composer, and editor.

The story follows Simon and his 12 year old son, Finn (played by Charlie Tacker) as they attempt to flip a house over a summer. They encounter a spirit of a woman named Lydia who's not trying to keep them right - she's trying to keep them in. Forever. And with every repair to the house, she gets stronger. 

The film was shot this May and is now being edited and scored, all out of my home studio which is also a bit of a baby circus since my wife and I have recently welcomed our second son into the world. Lots to look forward to!

ANNOUNCEMENT IN RUE MORGUE

WE GO ON makes waves on the Festival Circuit

Since our premiere at Cinequest in March, we've screened WE GO ON for audiences across the country and across the Atlantic. And thus we've been received incredibly by movie fans and critics alike. These festivals play an enormous role in the life on indie films such as ours, and we're enormously grateful to them for their hospitality and faith in what we've made.

In April, we played the Cleveland International Film Festival, and also the Dead by Dawn Film Festival in the UK, where we won the Audience Award for Best Feature. We won that same award at Los Angeles' prestigious Dances With Films, and most recently we played the incredible Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Along the way, we've got some great reviews:

RUE MORGUE - Michael Gingold
I-HORROR.COM - Trey Hilburn III
DEATH BY PODCAST - Guiseppe Infante
 

WE GO ON gets its first review - and it's a rave from Fangoria!

Here's the copy of the very first review for the film, from top genre site Fangoria.com and reviewer Ken W. Hanley:

"The latest film from the directing duo behind YELLOWBRICKROAD, WE GO ON is a film that works so well because even despite the familiar thematic material as of late, it’s got the organic pacing and storytelling that feels so far removed from contemporary horror. In an age where scares-per-minute and body count are so often the barometer for “memorable” horror, WE GO ON adopts an aesthetic that feels incredibly natural, allowing the story to unfold with character moments and interactions that a big studio might automatically lose in the editing bay. But by preserving the spirit of the narrative, WE GO ON works better than most outings in the independent horror circuit, and does so while also being legitimately scary and unpredictable.

Set in Los Angeles, WE GO ON follows Miles, a neurotic man afflicted with crippling anxieties, most of which relate to his mortality. In an effort to definitively calm his nerves, Miles puts out a listing promising $30,000 to anyone who can prove- without a doubt- the existence of life after death. After narrowing down his prospective choices to four, Miles embarks on a journey to see if any of the respective finalists are worth their word, even though he may not be ready for the repercussions.

WE GO ON is a really fascinating horror offering for many reasons: the film almost serves as a commentary on horror filmmaking while in itself being an incredibly strong example of dramatic genre storytelling. In fact, this writer wouldn’t be lying if there weren’t shades of INSIDIOUS, IT FOLLOWS and even MULHOLLAND DRIVE throughout WE GO ON, even if unintentionally so. Yet even despite some heavier story beats, the film never feels dreary or unforgiving; instead, WE GO ON feels wholly naturalistic and real in that it’s an incredibly human story where the supernatural elements feel exactly as such, and it’s not afraid to have a little fun at times either. In that sense, WE GO ON gets really scary when it wants to be, especially considering the grounded, conflicted characters that are stuck in the middle of an incredibly terrifying situation.

"In terms of technical formidability, Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton knock out WE GO ON incredibly impressively; there’s a real confidence in the material that allows them to approach the story so unconventionally. From a story of their own design, the duo knows the value of the story that they’re telling, which incredibly informs their cinematic language: thankfully, WE GO ON isn’t edited to the bone, nor is it a bloated art house offering. And while Holland & Mitton also take on editing and composition roles for the film, WE GO ON also works in large part to the unique cinematography of Jeffrey Waldron, the impressive FX from Sierra Russell and the organic production design of Yong Ok Lee.

WE GO ON also benefits from having an incredibly strong cast to bring the clever script to life, all of whom bring confident, passionate performances to the proceedings. Clark Freeman is a revelation as Miles, selling every moment of anxiety and fear both physically and emotionally whilst still carrying an everyman feel so few leading men can convey. WE GO ON also offers fantastic supporting turns by Giovanna Zacarias, Jay Dunn and Laura Heisler, each who fit into WE GO ON’s puzzle in their own respective way. And, of course, WE GO ON also features exceptional performances from Annette O’Toole and John Glover, with the former shattering expectations in a scene-stealing performance while the latter offers a clever, eccentric turn on a genre stock character.

Overall, WE GO ON is a genuinely excellent genre film that is scary, bold and incredibly naturalistic in the most refreshing sense possible. Holland & Mitton’s work in this film does not deserve to be overlooked or written-off, and the film is just as sure to please audiences as it is to impress critics. Simply put: WE GO ON is great, and might just be the rare sleeper indie horror surprise that offers substance over style."

Here's the link to the original review: http://www.fangoria.com/new/we-go-on-film-review/

WE GO ON to premiere at Cinequest in March!

Andy's newest film with collaborator Jesse Holland is set to launch at the prestigious Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, with screenings March 5th, 6th, plus a midnight show on the 12th.

This creepy and original supernatural thriller about one man's terrifying adventure to find proof of life after death stars Annette O'Toole, Clark Freeman, John Glover, Giovanna Zacarius, Jay Dunn, and Laura Heisler. 

 

CLICK HERE to see the trailer.

 

CLICK HERE to visit the festival site and buy tickets.