LA-based writer/director Sarah Smick started graduate school seven months postpartum… and promptly became well-versed in mom guilt. Yes, she was recognized by Humanitas and the Annenberg Foundation, 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 writing/directorial debut FRIENDED TO DEATH won Best American Indie at the Edmonton International Film Festival. It was released by Gravitas Ventures and played theatrically on 17 screens across the U.S. The Washington Post called it, “an assured debut.” Sarah also directed the female buddy comedy web series OLD SOULS, which won Best of Fest at ITVFest and was released by SnagFilms.