friended to death /
94 min
A social media junkie fakes his death online to see which of his so-called "friends" will show up at his funeral.
Directed by Sarah Smick. Written by Sarah Smick & Ian Michaels.
Winner - Best American Indie at the Edmonton International Film Festival.
Released theatrically in Japan and on 17 screens across the US.
"An assured debut for first-time filmmaker Sarah Smick." -The Washington Post
"A sly, yet extremely energetic wink at the dark side of our increasingly intrusive social media state of dependency." -Film Threat
In sickness & in health /
10 min
A married couple struggles to accommodate one another
in the lead-up to a high-stakes business lunch at their Malibu beach house.
Written & Directed by Sarah Smick.
Starring Jess Weixler ("Teeth") & Michael Mosley ("Ozark").
Winner - Best Comedy Short at Haunted House FearFest.
Nominated - Best Actress at Bridgeport Film Festival & Haunted House FearFest.
Old souls /
web series
Two struggling young actresses with old souls dress up like elderly women, "Mrs. Doubtfire" style, to give Betty White a run for her money.
Directed by Sarah Smick. Written by and starring Sarah Smick & Honora Talbott.
Best of Fest at the Independent Television Festival (ITVFest).
Best Writing, Directing and Comedy Series at the LA Web Festival.
Distributed by SnagFilms.
“An amusing and thought-provoking Tootsie-style series.” - Backstage
M.F.A., Writing for Screen and Television, University of Southern California.
Annenberg Graduate Fellow.
B.A., Columbia University, cum laude - coursework in Screenwriting.
results in ten days
/ dramedy feature
- Semifinalist, WeScreenplay Feature Competition.
- Quarterfinalist, ScreenCraft Film Fund.
- Second Rounder, Sundance Development Track.
- Second Rounder, Launch Pad Feature Competition.
PINK Lines
/ half-hour family dramedy
- Second Rounder, Launch Pad Pilot Competition.
False positive
/ hour-long family dramedy
- Humanitas Semifinalist.
Above: Sarah directing Gotham Award-nominated actress Jess Weixler on the set of her award-winning short film "In Sickness & in Health."
Sarah Smick
/ writer & director
Los Angeles-based filmmaker Sarah Smick started graduate school seven months postpartum… and promptly became well-versed in mom guilt. Yes, she was recognized by Humanitas and won the USC Annenberg Fellowship, but it meant ditching her kid and pumping in closets between classes. Mom of the Year. Inspired by these painful trade-offs, Sarah’s work explores the costs of being seen and heard.
Before earning her M.F.A. in Writing for Screen & Television from the University of Southern California, Sarah graduated with honors from Columbia University, then directed and produced indies, working with the Duplass Brothers, among others. Her feature film directorial debut “Friended to Death” premiered at Cinequest and won Best American Indie at the Edmonton International Film Festival. It was released by Gravitas Ventures and played theatrically in Japan and on 17 screens across the U.S. The Washington Post called it, “an assured debut.” Sarah also wrote and directed the female buddy comedy web series "Old Souls," which won Best of Fest at ITVFest, among other awards, and was released by SnagFilms.
Most recently, Sarah wrote and directed the dark comedy short "In Sickness & in Health" starring Jess Weixler and Michael Mosley. The film has played at over 20 film festivals and won Best Comedy Short at New York’s Haunted House FearFest. The female lead, Jess Weixler, was also nominated for Best Actress at Haunted House FearFest and at Bridgeport Film Festival.
Sarah is also a trained actor, having studied at BADA, UCB, Stella Adler Studios, Margie Haber Studios, and elsewhere. She worked with Greta Gerwig on her original two-woman show "Small Things and Water" in New York, and has appeared in numerous indie features and shorts including “Rainbow Time" (SXSW, Duplass Brothers Productions) and “The Goldfish,” acting opposite Jason Ritter.
for work samples and other inquiries... please reach out!
© 2022 Sarah Smick