Meet Austin Smagalski | Independent Film Director & Television Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Smagalski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austin, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to make movies. As a kid I told my anyone who would listen that I was going to be a filmmaker someday and would daydream elaborate trailers for the films I wanted to make (several including Godzilla). As the years went on, people started taking me more seriously. When my final film project in high school couldn’t be screened because of an export error, I rented out the local theater for a morning and showed my film. It was a small thing, but life-changing. Years later, I would premiere my first feature Donovan Reid at SF Indiefest and a second feature, TO DIE ALONE, that would go on to win awards including several for “Best Feature.” But really, it all goes back to that daydreaming kid.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Directing is what drives me. At its best, film is a conduit for empathy unlike anything else. I’ve always been drawn to the way a good movie can put you in someone else’s shoes. I think that has a lot to do with the subjects and themes I tend to incorporate in my work, because I anchor my stories in deeply personal and internal emotional struggles. As a director, you can use those tools to tell stories that are powerful and meaningful. There’s so much room for subtlety and reaction in the relationship between the characters and the camera, and you can put the audience in someone’s deep inner struggles through the smallest details.

While I wish I could say that directing pays the bills, I spend most of the year editing documentary-style shows for television. My bread and butter is true crime, cutting shows for Max and VICE. I’m fascinated with how the construction of a story in the documentary format is inherently crafting a point of view, and what that does to influence the viewer. I’ve tried to center my work in true crime on the survivors, or surviving family of the victims, because it’s easy for the genre to fall into exploitation.

All of that said, I’ve actually found that directing and editing are quite complementary to one another as careers. Cutting dozens of hours of television builds those muscles of story and pacing, which are incredibly helpful in directing. Likewise, writing and directing gives you a sense of how story can be shaped and crafted when put through the gauntlet of production, and understanding that gives you a fantastic foundation for editing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Even if we’re entertaining folks, we love our couple of cozy spots in Burbank. Drinks at Tony’s Darts Away, movies at the AMC 16 Dolby theater, Sushi at Koppan Ramen, and special occasions at Castaway overlooking the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a lot of amazing people who have been a part of my filmmaking journey, but I want to shout out two in particular.

The first is my long-time collaborator and wonderful friend Rose Diamond, who’s been editing my films for over a decade. We’ve had the chance to work together on all kinds of projects, and she’s always been a great person to hash out what works and what doesn’t during the process of editing.

The second person is my spouse of 10 years and partner in life and film, Kai Smagalski. Kai has been an incredible supporter of my work, and took on huge roles in each of the features we’ve made. Not everyone is up to having a spouse in the arts, but they’ve been the best partner I could ask for.

Website: https://www.glasscreekfilms.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinsmagalski/

Other: Catch TO DIE ALONE at festivals: https://linktr.ee/todiealonefilm