Austin Smagalski
Directing
Biography
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
Known For
After suffering a terrible injury while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Irving must find a way to escape the woods alive and confront her inner demons with the help of a stranger.
To Die Alone
A Vice documentary look into Vince McMahon’s role in the world of wrestling.
The Nine Lives of Vince McMahon
A heart-warming and heart-stopping documentary about people who sacrifice everything to create the most popular and polarizing haunted houses for Halloween - from boo-scare mazes to a controversial new subculture of extreme terror experiences.
Haunters: The Art of the Scare
A young man poses as a long-missing child, but as doubts arise about his identity he must discover his new family's darkest secret before his own is revealed first.