Howard L. “GATO” Mitchell is a Black, Afro-Latin artist, award-winning film director, and writer as well as poet and painter.

With letters in philosophy and the philosophy of educational development, and a background in fine art and literature, Mitchell explores universal themes under his pseudonym, GATO.

His work merges brooding modernism with expressionism, his painter’s eye shaping a formal yet deeply human cinematic style—balancing narrative with atmosphere and visual punctuation.

A recipient of multiple awards, Mitchell is currently developing his first feature film, a mystery thriller, alongside his debut novel, The Stinging Provocations of Magdalena Arlena Carbona