Sarah Adina Smith
Smith in 2019
Occupations
  • Director
  • writer
  • editor

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]

Early life and education

Smith was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. She graduated from Poudre High School in 2001, and studied philosophy at Columbia University in New York.[6]

Career

Smith's first feature as director, The Midnight Swim, was released in 2014. The film was noted for its shifts in visual style,[7] and won six awards on the festival circuit, including the audience award from AFI Fest.[8][9]

Her sophomore feature, Buster's Mal Heart,[10] premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and stars Rami Malek, DJ Qualls, and Kate Lyn Sheil.[11]

Smith co-wrote the screenplay for the film Unlovable, which screened at the SXSW festival in 2018.[12]

In 2018 Smith was chosen to direct the first two episodes of television adaptation of the film Hanna.[13][14] 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[15] and the 2022 film The Drop.[16]

In 2023, Smith directed two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry for Apple TV+.[17][18] 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.[19]

Filmography

Short films

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

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

Year Title Director Executive
Producer 		Episodes
2017 Wrecked Yes No
  • "Tony Pepperoni"
  • "Sister Mercy"
Room 104 Yes No
  • "Ralphie"
  • "The Knockandoo"
2018 Legion Yes No
  • "Chapter 11"
2019 Hanna Yes Yes
  • "Forest"
  • "Friend"
Looking for Alaska Yes Yes
  • "Famous Last Words"
2023 Lessons in Chemistry Yes Yes
  • "Little Miss Hastings"
  • "Her and Him"

References

  1. ^ "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
  2. ^ "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
  3. ^ "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
  4. ^ "Film Review: ‘The Midnight Swim’" Archived 2019-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Variety, November 24, 2014. By Geoff Berkshire
  5. ^ Rosen, Lisa (November 22, 2023). "Plenty of surprises bubble up in 'Lessons in Chemistry'". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ "Poudre High School alumna featured at the Lyric". Rocky Mountain Collegian, by Megan Fischer - July 9, 2015
  7. ^ "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
  8. ^ "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
  9. ^ "“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
  10. ^ "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
  11. ^ "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
  12. ^ "Film Review: ‘Unlovable’" Archived 2019-04-06 at the Wayback Machine. Variety, March 14, 2018
  13. ^ "‘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
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Chuba, Hilary Lewis,Tyler Coates,Kirsten; Lewis, Hilary; Coates, Tyler; Chuba, Kirsten (February 11, 2024). "DGA Awards: Winners List (Updating Live)".((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

Films directed by Sarah Adina Smith
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Movies for Television and Limited Series
Authority control databases
Categories