MITTENS

A hit-and-run survivor and a grieving mother meet in a virtual support group, where an unspoken truth slowly emerges, testing the limits of forgiveness, silence, and responsibility.

  • Rhonda Yates
    Writer
  • Lakita Upshaw
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Number of Pages:
    6
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Writer Biography - Rhonda Yates, Lakita Upshaw

Rhonda Yates

Writer/Director
Indianapolis, Indiana

Rhonda Yates is a horror screenwriter and emerging filmmaker based in Indianapolis. Her work focuses on existential and psychological horror, exploring themes of fractured identity, distorted perception, memory manipulation, and the instability of the human mind.

Her screenplays FED, LEGION, and PROTOCOL have received recognition from multiple international festivals and competitions, including the Days of the Dead Film Festival, the INROADS Screenwriting Fellowship, the Cinema Royale Paris Edition Festival, and 13Horror.com. In 2026, she also completed production on her first short film adaptation of LEGION.

Influenced by atmospheric and psychologically driven horror, Yates is drawn to stories that blur the boundary between internal fear and external reality. Her work aims to create lingering unease while examining the emotional and existential vulnerabilities that define human experience.

She is currently developing additional short films and feature-length horror projects for production.

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Writer Statement

My work explores horror as an internal experience rather than spectacle alone. I am drawn to stories about fractured perception, unstable identity, memory distortion, and the psychological consequences of fear.
I see horror as one of the most creatively liberating genres because it allows difficult emotional and existential questions to take physical form. Through surrealism, psychological tension, and atmosphere, I aim to create stories that linger beyond the immediate narrative and invite reflection after the final scene.
At the center of my work is the belief that fear reveals vulnerability, and vulnerability reveals truth.