About MĪHOUSE Films
MīHOUSE Films is an independent movie production company founded in 2023 by Amanda Michaels and Whitney Houser.The first film produced by MīHOUSE is the award-winning semi-autobiographical short film Leading Man.
Tribeca 2024
LEADING MAN is an Official Selection of Tribeca 2024 where it premiered in NYC and was awarded “Most Moving Narrative” in the Moving the Spotlight short film competition.
Palm Springs International ShortFest 2025
LEADING MAN is an Official Selection of Palm Springs International ShortFest 2025 where it will have its California premiere this summer.
deadCenter 2025
LEADING MAN is an Official Selection of deadCenter 2025 where it will have its Oklahoma premiere this summer.
Out on Film 2024
LEADING MAN is an Official Selection of Out on Film 2024 where it had its Atlanta premiere and won a Jury Award for runner-up in the Oscar-qualifying Best Drama Shorts competition.
HollyShorts London 2024
LEADING MAN is an Official Selection of HollyShorts London 2024 where it had its UK premiere as part of the inaugural HollyShorts festival in the UK.
Screencraft 2023
The screenplay for LEADING MAN was a 2023 Screencraft Short Film Screenplay Competition Finalist.
LEADING MAN TEAM
LEADING MAN TEAM
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Whitney Houser
WRITER, DIRECTOR
Whitney Houser is a professional film and tv editor turned filmmaker. They edited the 2023 Sundance Official Selection Aliens Abducted My Parents (and Now I Feel Kind of Left Out) before writing, directing, and editing the 2024 Tribeca Award Winning short film Leading Man. They can be reached on instagram.
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Amanda Michaels
PRODUCER, DIRECTOR
Amanda Michaels is a graduate of UCLA and a professional photographer, writer, meditation/yoga teacher, and former actress turned filmmaker. She produced, directed, and did production design on the 2024 Tribeca Award Winning short film Leading Man. You can reach Amanda via email or instagram.
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Maddy Talias
DP
Maddy Talias was the DP on MĪHOUSE Films’ Tribeca Award Winning short film Leading Manl. They were also cinematographer on Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé and Lost Bois, which also premiered at Tribeca 2024.
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Kate Godfrey
LEAD
Kate Godfrey delivers a touching and nuanced performance as the lead role of Ashlyn Thomas, a teenager struggling with with the early stages gender dysphoria in Leading Man.
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David Sullivan
SUPPORTING LEAD
David Sullivan gives a heartfelt and deeply-relatable performance as Roy Thomas, a dad looking out for the best interest of his little girl in Leading Man.
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Joyce Guy
SUPPORTING LEAD
Joyce Guy roots Leading Man with a beautiful performance as a drama teacher who sees Ashlyn for what she’s capable of.
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Tineka Becker, C.S.A.
CASING DIRECTOR
Tineka Becker was the CD on MĪHOUSE Films’ Tribeca Award Winning short film Leading Man. Formerly the Manager of Feature Casting at Paramount Pictures, she has also worked with some of the top casting offices in LA. with credits including A Single Man, Doug Liman’s Fair Game,Twilight: New Moon, X-Men: Apocalypse, Moneyball, Little Fockers, A Better Life, Heaven is for Real, The Lovely Bones,A Christmas Carol w/ Jim Carrey, The Conners on ABC, as well as the FX series Trust. Since going out on her own, her projects have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, LA Film Festival, Marché du Film @ Cannes, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Catalina Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival, Le Femme International Film Festival, Cinequest, and many others.
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Connie Wood
COSTUME DESIGNER / ASST ART DIRECTOR
Connie has had a lifelong love of the arts, particularly fashion design, watercolor, set design, and costuming. After a decades-long career in finance, Connie returned to her love of the arts, starting her own interior design business and doing costume and set design on MĪHOUSE Films’ Tribeca Award Winning short film Leading Man.
Connie was delighted to bring such a meaningful story to life alongside such a talented cast and crew.
IMDb
See Leading Man’s full Cast + Crew on IMDb.
Tribeca Film Festival
Leading Man is “one of the most moving short films from emerging, underrepresented filmmakers.”
Screencraft
Leading Man is “strongly conceived and delivered.”
Tribeca Film Festival
Moving the Spotlight Short Film Competition
Awarded Most Moving Narrative Short Film “recognizing radically human storytelling with the power to create change.”
Out on Film
Leading Man is “one of the year’s best dramatic short films.”
Nonchalant Magazine
Leading Man is “honest, stripped back, and quietly powerful.”
ON SET
ON SET
