David Robert Mitchell

David Robert Mitchell (born October 19, 1974)^[1] is an American film director and writer. He received significant recognition as a director after completing his second feature, the critically acclaimed horror film It Follows (2014).

David Robert Mitchell
Mitchell in 2010
Born	(1974-10-19) October 19, 1974 (age 50) Clawson, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	Florida State University
Years active	2002–present
Notable credit	It Follows (2014)

Early life and education

Mitchell was born in Clawson, Michigan.^[2] He attended Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.^[2] He graduated from Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts with a Master of Fine Arts degree in production.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[5][6]

Mitchell served as a jury member in the Critics' Week section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.^[7]

In 2018, he directed Under the Silver Lake, a postmodern noir comedy-drama film set in Los Angeles and starring Andrew Garfield.^[8]

In October 2023, it was announced that a sequel, entitled They Follow, was in pre-production with writer-director David Robert Mitchell and star Maika Monroe returning. Neon would produce and distribute the film domestically, while filming is expected to begin in 2025.^[9][10][11]

Filmography

Short film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2001	Kiss	No	No	Yes
2002	Virgin	Yes	Yes	No

Feature film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2010	The Myth of the American Sleepover	Yes	Yes	No
2014	It Follows	Yes	Yes	Yes
2018	Under the Silver Lake	Yes	Yes	Yes
2026	Flowervale Street	Yes	Yes	Yes