Film As Art: Howard L. GATO Mitchell on Making Movies with Meaning
“I got into filmmaking not only to tell stories and to entertain, but to express myself and bring meaning to moving pictures.”
– Howard L. GATO Mitchell
In his 2018 short film Forgive Us Our Debts, Portland-based artist, director, and writer Howard L. GATO Mitchell depicts moments in life we don’t always see, interweaving the tangible and intangible to reveal “the fire beneath the ice of humanity.” The film tells the fictional story of 13-year-old Trey, who lives with his family in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
While in Seattle in April, we sat down with GATO to talk about artistic filmmaking, the relationship shared between a director and viewer in cinema, and how Trey’s fictional story is a reflection of larger economic and political pressures affecting people across the United States, especially communities of color. Watch our interview with GATO above and experience the artist’s 15-minute film at SAM’s downtown location through August 6.
– Lily Hansen, SAM Marketing Content Creator
Photo: L. Fried.