Private Project

Under The Mercy

A drug addict must choose between killing a man to get out of debt or being torn apart by the ruthless drug dealer he owes money to.

  • Peter Mahan
    Director
  • Eric Scott
    Writer
  • Peter Mahan
    Writer
  • Joe Cunningham
    Writer
  • Joe Cunningham
    Producer
  • Joe Cunningham
    Key Cast
    "Chad Loos"
  • Chuck Teska
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Reynolds"
  • Sheirel Mordaunt
    Key Cast
    "Mrs. Oliveri"
  • Tyrone Jackson
    Key Cast
    "The Organist"
  • Wyatt Lozano
    Key Cast
    "Mooch"
  • Jerome Coleman
    Key Cast
    "Izzie"
  • Ronnie Edwards
    Key Cast
    "Panhandler"
  • Aaron Richardson
    Key Cast
    "Sonny"
  • Patricia Rodriguez
    Key Cast
    "Nurse #1"
  • Keisha Seals
    Key Cast
    "Nurse #2"
  • MIchael Cherniak
    Key Cast
    "Pusher"
  • Chelsea Arena
    Key Cast
    "Chelsea"
  • Eric Holdridge
    Key Cast
    "Biker Gang Scout"
  • Lori Lee Blackburn
    Key Cast
    "Bag Lady"
  • Andrew Skinner
    Key Cast
    "Junkie"
  • James Marlowe
    Cinematography
  • Dave Welsch
    Composer
  • Meg Lynch
    Hair & Make-Up
  • Dave Welsch
    Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 29, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Peter Mahan

After earning two degrees in art, Peter taught in the NYS public school system for 31 years, and due to an avid interest in film, became a self-taught filmmaker while subsequently teaching a course in video production to high schoolers. Over a 25-year period Peter worked concurrently as an independent writer/producer/director on over 20 low-budget short films (mostly documentary), the most noteworthy being Midway Drive-in: A Reason to Celebrate (2015), which appeared on Syracuse public television station WCNY in 2016 and in 2017, was accepted into the Hamilton International Film Festival. Two other documentaries he created, commissioned by local cultural organizations in Oswego County, were Oswego Civic Arts Center: 40 Years of Excellence and Derrick Boat Number 8.

Peter has supplemented his passion for movies with an amateur acting career, appearing on stage in over 20 roles for several regional community theater troupes and also in front of the camera, taking parts in numerous student films produced in both the SUNY Oswego and Syracuse University film school programs. Most recently he was seen in a dramatic short called Too Late (2021) by Syracuse-based writer/director/producer Tyrone “Tiz” Jackson.
Finally, Peter has written two feature-length screenplays (“Harlem Air” and “The Great Ride”) since he retired from teaching in 2016. The first script was a Finalist selection at the 2019 Hip Hop Film Festival and the second made it to the Quarterfinals of the 2020 Stage 32 Feature Drama Screenwriting Contest.

Peter’s contribution to Under the Mercy (2021) was as co-writer, director, and film editor.

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Director Statement

"The chance to work on Under the Mercy was significant for me in that I moved out of my filmmaking comfort zone—nonfiction documentary storytelling into fiction-based material—and I absolutely loved it. I found that the experience opened up doors to my imagination that simply couldn’t be tapped in my former realm of expression. A lot more could be said about it, but suffice it to say fiction allows for a greater range of 'emotional spigots' to tap, and this story soars because of that."

- Peter Mahan, Director, Under The Mercy