Scott Smith
Born in Alberta, and raised in British Columbia, Scott is a graduate of the film program at Simon Fraser University (1994), and in 1995 was invited to attend the Canadian Film Centre, founded by Norman Jewison, as a Directing Resident, among the youngest ever to participate in the program. His resulting short film, Sshhh, was screened at several international festivals and won the prize for Best Short Film at the Karlovy Vary Festival in Czechoslovakia. In 1997, Sshhh was nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for a Genie Award for Best Live Action Short.
In 1998, at the age of 28, Smith made his first feature film, rollercoaster, which premiered at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival. rollercoaster was screened at over 35 film festivals worldwide, winning several awards, including Best Narrative Feature at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Stephen Holden from the New York Times wrote – ‘astounding.captures the crude anarchic language and daredevil vulnerability of teenagers with a scary accuracy.” Todd Haynes, in selecting rollercoaster to open a festival in Portland wrote – “A remarkably assured first feature – engrossing but restrained with extraordinary performances from its teenage actors.”
rollercoaster was distributied in the U.S. (DVD) and Canada (theatrical), and has been included in several books, including Katherine Monk’s historical analysis of Canadian film,Weird Sex & Snowshoes (Raincoast), and Robin Wood’s Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan…and Beyond (Columbia Univ. Press), in a chapter devoted to North American teen movies.
In 2003, Smith completed his second feature, Falling Angels, a $4M adaptation of Barbara Gowdy’s novel, starring Miranda Richardson, Mark McKinney, and Katherine Isabelle. The dark comedy tells the story of the war-torn Field family in 1969, and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2003 to glowing reviews. Variety wrote “Smith handles complex, troubling agenda here with quiet skill.confirms soph helmer as a keen observer of character drama.” Ken Eisner of the Georgia Straight/Variety described it as “a marvel from beginning to end.flawless performances” . Since it’s premiere, Falling Angels has been screened at over 75 festivals and cities worldwide, and has been acquired for distribution in over 15 countries, including the U.S., Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Mexico. It was nominated for every major award in Canada in 2004, winning 2 Genies (for production design and original song), and a Leo Award for Best Director. It was also selected by the Toronto Film Festival Group’s annual Top Ten (for 2003.)
Scott’s work in television includes the pilot episode of CTV’s The Associates, as well as episodes of The Chris Isaak Show, Madison, and Traders. Most recently, he has worked as a director on the first two seasons of the award winning CBC drama series This Is Wonderland, written by Canada’s best known playwright, George F. Walker. Scott was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Director in a Drama Series for his work in Season I.
In 2007, Scott completed his first documentary feature, As Slow as Possible, which follows blind author Ryan Knighton on a pilgrimage to hear a note change in a song being played over 639 years.