Sarah Adina Smith is an American film writer, director, and editor.[1][2] Films she has directed include Buster's Mal Heart (2016),[3] and The Midnight Swim (2014). She also directed two episodes from the television series Room 104. Her films often center around mysticism, spirituality and psychology, and the surreal.[4] Smith also directed several acclaimed television pilots, including Hanna, Looking for Alaska, and Lessons in Chemistry.[5] She won the Directors Guild of America award for Movies for Television and Limited Series for her Lessons in Chemistry episode "Her & Him".[6]
Sarah Adina Smith | |
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.png) Smith in 2019 | |
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Early life and education
editSmith was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. She graduated from Poudre High School in 2001, and studied philosophy at Columbia University in New York.[7]
Career
editSmith's first feature as director, The Midnight Swim, was released in 2014. The film was noted for its shifts in visual style,[8] and won six awards on the festival circuit, including the audience award from AFI Fest.[9][10]
Her sophomore feature, Buster's Mal Heart,[11] premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and stars Rami Malek, DJ Qualls, and Kate Lyn Sheil.[12]
Smith co-wrote the screenplay for the film Unlovable, which screened at the SXSW festival in 2018.[13]
In 2018 Smith was chosen to direct the first two episodes of television adaptation of the film Hanna.[14][15] In 2019, she directed one episode of the television adaptation of the novel Looking for Alaska.
She wrote and directed the 2021 film Birds of Paradise[16] and the 2022 film The Drop.[17]
In 2023, Smith directed two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry for Apple TV+.[18][19] In 2024, she won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for directing "Her and Him" from Lessons in Chemistry.[20] In June 2024, it was announced that Smith would direct three episodes of the upcoming series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.[21]
Filmography
editShort films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Madura | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | The Sirens | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| One Cup of Coffee | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2016 | Mother's Day | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Segment of Holidays |
Feature films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Goodbye World | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2014 | The Midnight Swim | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2016 | Buster's Mal Heart | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2021 | Birds of Paradise | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2022 | The Drop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer |
Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Wrecked | Yes | No |
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| Room 104 | Yes | No |
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| 2018 | Legion | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | Hanna | Yes | Yes |
|
| Looking for Alaska | Yes | Yes |
| |
| 2023 | Lessons in Chemistry | Yes | Yes |
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References
edit- ^ "Interview: Writer/Director Sarah Adina Smith on BUSTER'S MAL HEART" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Dead, 5/8/2017 | Heather Wixson
- ^ "WME Signs Director Sarah Adina Smith Ahead Of Toronto Fest" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Deadline Hollywood, Anita Busch, August 10, 2016.
- ^ "Indie Focus: Seeing with fresh eyes in 'The Lovers,' 'Risk' and 'Buster's Mal Heart'" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times, By Mark Olsen, May 07, 2017.
- ^ "Film Review: 'The Midnight Swim'" Archived 2019-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Variety, November 24, 2014. By Geoff Berkshire
- ^ Rosen, Lisa (November 22, 2023). "Plenty of surprises bubble up in 'Lessons in Chemistry'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "76th Annual DGA Awards".
- ^ "Poudre High School alumna featured at the Lyric". Rocky Mountain Collegian, by Megan Fischer - July 9, 2015.
- ^ "Eye Piece: How Sarah Adina Smith Shot Three Visual Styles in Midnight Swim" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. MovieMaker Magazine, By May Zhang on September 29, 2015.
- ^ "Tribeca 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Adina Smith — "Buster's Mal Heart"" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Women and Hollywood, Laura Berger April 23, 2017.
- ^ ""The Midnight Swim" Takes Home Breakthrough Audience Award at AFI Fest" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Hollywood Times, By Rosemary Vega on November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Interview: Sarah Adina Smith on Climbing Mountains and Taming the Sea for "Buster's Mal Heart"" Archived 2019-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Moveable Fest, May 7, 2017 by Stephen Saito
- ^ "Offbeat indie 'Buster's Mal Heart' showcases Rami Malek's gifts" Archived 2019-01-29 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times, By Robert Abele, May 04, 2017.
- ^ "Film Review: 'Unlovable'" Archived 2019-04-06 at the Wayback Machine. Variety, March 14, 2018.
- ^ "'The Killing' Duo Mireille Enos & Joel Kinnaman, Esme Creed-Miles To Star In 'Hanna' TV Series Adaptation For Amazon" Archived 2019-01-31 at the Wayback Machine. Nellie Andreeva • February 8, 2018.
- ^ Holloway, Daniel (May 23, 2017). "Amazon Orders 'Hanna' Series From NBCUniversal International Studios". Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved Sep 5, 2019.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (30 September 2021). "How Sarah Adina Smith crafted her trippy ballet drama Birds of Paradise". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Kennedy, Lisa (10 January 2023). "A Destination Wedding Mishap Upends a Young Couple's Parenting Plans". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Lane, Eden (October 13, 2023). "Fort Collins native who directed 'Lessons in Chemistry' says new series is about tension between science and faith". CPR News. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Wakeman, Gregory (October 12, 2023). "Sarah Adina Smith on getting all the elements right for series Lessons In Chemistry". The National. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Chuba, Hilary Lewis,Tyler Coates,Kirsten; Lewis, Hilary; Coates, Tyler; Chuba, Kirsten (February 11, 2024). "DGA Awards: Winners List (Updating Live)". The Hollywood Reporter.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Vary, Adam B. (18 June 2024). "'Game of Thrones' Spinoff 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Begins Filming as 'The Crown,' 'True Detective' Actors Join Cast". Variety.
