Posts by pwsadmin

Had a lot of fun speaking with Toronto-based podcast Extra Features about my new short film , SAFE & HAPPY, short films vs. features, and the challenges and advantages of making movies in a place like St. Louis.  Check it out! Extra Features Interviews: Daniel Blake Smith about his film “Safe And Happy”.

Check out this wonderful BTS (behind the scenes) video on the making of my new short film, SAFE & HAPPY:  

My short film, SAFE & HAPPY, hits the festival circuit on July 14 as part of the 2019 St. Louis Filmmaker Showcase.  A drama about an ex-cop with an explosive secret, SAFE & HAPPY, is now out to festivals throughout the country.  More to come!

A superb cast and crew finished production on my new short film, SAFE AND HAPPY, after a two-day shoot on March 8-9, in St. Louis.  SAFE AND HAPPY tells the dramatic story of an ex-cop who for years has kept an explosive secret from his wife and the world but is suddenly exposed at a critical…

I am pleased to announce that in January I optioned the film rights to the fascinating true story memoir, BLINDSIDED BY THE TALIBAN:  A JOURNALIST’S STORY OF WAR, TRAUMA, LOVE, AND LOSS, by Carmen Gentile.  It’s a captivating and piercingly honest account of a war correspondent who, amazingly, survived a rocket-propelled-grenade attack, and went on…

I’ll be selling and signing books–my debut novel, MR. WONDERFUL, and my prize-winning history of the Trail of Tears, AN AMERICAN BETRAYAL:  CHEROKEE PATRIOTS AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS (Henry Holt)– on Saturday, Nov 17, 9am-4pm at the Kentucky Book Festival.  The event is held at the Kentucky Horse Park in the Alltech Arena.

I recently recorded a podcast interview with Simon Watson’s Extra Features Movie Review Podcast up in Toronto.  Check it out! http://www.extrafeatures.ca/2018/10/19/extra-features-interviews-daniel-blake-smith-texas-heart/

Not even half-way through its festival journey, MEMORY BOX has already been selected for 14 festivals and has either earned 9 nominations and/or awards from festivals in the US, Australia, Canada, and Spain.  After a very successful world premiere at the Austin Revolution Film Festival in late September, my film has been screened in Amelia…

My short film, MEMORY BOX, just two months into its festival journey, has now been accepted into 6 festivals and given (or been nominated for) 3 awards!  The festivals naming our film as an Official Selection include as of mid-August:  Austin Revolution Film Festival (Sept. 18-23); Rendezvous Film Festival (at Amelia Island, Florida), Sept. 20-22;…

My short film, MEMORY BOX, about how a man’s visit with a loved one leads to a shattering revelation, will premiere at the Austin Revolution Film Fest, Sept. 18-22.  The number one reviewed film festival in the country, ARFF is a blue-collar, indie-loving festival where story, not A-list celebrities, is king.  All of us involved…