COLE SMITH

Film Director - Screenwriter

About

Cole Smith is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter.

Born in Tasmania, Cole relocated to Melbourne in 2017 to attend film school where he graduated from RMIT and Swinburne University of Technology, developing a distinctive cinematic voice in short films recognised by Las Vegas Fear Faire (U.S.), Spooktacular Spectacular (U.S.), Festivus (CA), and North Bellarine Film Festival (AU).

In December 2023, Cole completed production on his first feature film, Chipped, a horror/sci-fi exploration of the accelerating advancements in artificial intelligence, and the consequences of birthing something smarter than ourselves.

Parallel to post-production on Chipped, Cole penned two feature specs in 2024 that blend high-concept genre storytelling with psychological and sociopolitical commentary, examining the human condition through a contemporary lens:

Carmilla is an adaptation of Le Fanu's 1871 novella - a feminist vampire tale to which Bram Stoker's Dracula was a masculine response. Carmilla explores themes of repressed identity, duality, and the tension between conscious and unconscious desire, while giving birth to a bold and unique take on vampire lore. Carmilla positions itself as a psychological character study, subverting the modern conventions of a typical vampire story while staying true to its Gothic roots.

The Pleasure Principle is a suspense mystery following an obsessed Englishman's pursuit of a French countess, leading him to a Paris hotel where guests are known to vanish. Along the way are bizarre encounters a prophetic clairvoyant, cataleptic shock, and what appears to be the supernatural. The Pleasure Principle explores the psychology of desire, control, and self-destruction in the relentless pursuit of purpose and understanding of one's self.

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