Austin Smagalski was raised in Sonoma County and has been passionate about filmmaking since childhood. His work often explores internal struggles, with frequent use of themes like trauma, family and isolation. While he has since made a career in TV editing, his passion is writing and directing independent films. Austin's latest feature film, To Die Alone, premiered at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival in 2024 to critical acclaim. His upcoming work includes a documentary focusing on dog rescues and a crime thriller currently in development
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Biography from TMDB.
- Director, producer, writer and editor
- 4 on MovieCove · 5 credits in all
Known for
What are Austin Smagalski's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
A split, not a type: Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 0 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Austin Smagalski's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
- Curiosity Stream
- discovery+
Subscription and free streaming for Austin Smagalski's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
5 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.
To Die Alone(2024)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
The Nine Lives of Vince McMahon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Donovan Reid(2019)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 4 titles from 2017 to 2024.
How do Austin Smagalski's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 21st percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 20th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 4 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 72/100 and the pacing 38/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Austin Smagalski work with?
People who share at least 2 of Austin Smagalski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jared Newman shares the most, 2.
Composers and editors
- Jared NewmanShared titles: To Die Alone (2024), Donovan Reid (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Jared Newman
- Noah 'Rose' DiamondShared titles: To Die Alone (2024), Donovan Reid (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Noah 'Rose' Diamond
Producers
- Kai SmagalskiShared titles: To Die Alone (2024), Donovan Reid (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Kai Smagalski
Mixed roles
- Bill SebastianShared titles: People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer (2024), To Die Alone (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Sebastian
