David Robert Mitchell (born October 19, 1974) is an American filmmaker. He received significant recognition as a director after completing his second feature, the critically acclaimed horror film It Follows (2014).
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Early life and education
Mitchell was born in Clawson, Michigan. He attended Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. He graduated from Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts with a Master of Fine Arts degree in production.
Career
Mitchell's first full-length film was the coming-of-age drama The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010). Adele Romanski, a friend of Mitchell's from film school, served as one of the producers. In an interview, Mitchell said that the film cost about $50,000.
Four years later, he directed the supernatural horror film It Follows. The film was acclaimed by critics and was a remarkable commercial success considering its low, independent film budget.
Mitchell served as a jury member in the Critics' Week section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2018, he directed Under the Silver Lake, a postmodern noir comedy-drama film set in Los Angeles and starring Andrew Garfield.
In October 2023, it was announced that a sequel, titled They Follow, was in development with Mitchell returning to write and direct, and Maika Monroe returning to star. Neon would produce and distribute the film domestically. Filming began in July 2026.
Filmography
Short film
Feature film
