Neal Mercier is an independent filmmaker and visual media artist based in Southern New England. A Rhode Island native, Neal’s work is often shaped by a deep sense of place, memory, and the pull between meaning and uncertainty — themes that come to the forefront in his latest narrative short, Divine Providence (2023). The film, developed as his M.F.A. thesis during graduate studies at Emerson College, was selected for the Oscar-qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) and stands as his most personal and ambitious project to date.
During his adolescence, Neal began making movies with a tape-based Sony Handycam and a small group of friends, gradually transforming that passion into a body of work that spans both genre and format. In 2014, he began operating under the moniker Huxley Pictures, which by 2016 had evolved into a creative banner for personal, commercial, and freelance projects. His earlier short, Amaryllis (2015), also screened at RIIFF, establishing a throughline of thoughtful, character-driven storytelling deeply rooted in Southern New England.
Neal holds a B.A. in Mathematics with minors in Film and Writing from Providence College and an M.F.A. in Film & Media Art from Emerson. He currently teaches film production at Providence College, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island. When he’s not making movies (or watching them), Neal can usually be found playing guitar, carving pumpkins, or exchanging pleasantries with the local neighborhood cat.