The kidnapping of a young girl in an isolated mountain town forces two female detectives — one local, one state — into a disturbing investigation.
Kismet juxtaposes two narratives after the disappearance of 11 year old Sylvia Goldstein. The first: Detective Sevda Terzi arrives in Baker Springs to interrogate the case’s sole suspect, Mr. Charlotte Wilkes. The second: Officer Jill Chandler, doubtful of Charlotte’s guilt, follows an off-the-clock hunch into the mountain wilderness.
N/A
Z. LaPorte Airey & Connor Fitzgerald
Mike Smith
Samson Day, James Goldberg, Ruby Kaye, Shannon Looney & Marc Rosenzweig
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Eugenia Kaye and Tracy Nixon
STARRING:
Caroline Day
Louisa Mignone
Tavis Baker
Joe Cliff Thompson
JW Wiseman
Juliet Rusche
Directed and Edited by: Mike Smith
Cinematography and Color by: Jon Pham
Original Music by: Haven Johnson
Visual Effects by: Avi Kaye
Sound Design and Mix by: Dan Blanck and Blanck Records
Production Design by: Connor Fitzgerald
Assistant Director: Kevin Ramlal
Assistant Camera and Drone Operator: Aidan Bradbury-Aranda
Gaffer: Rudy Pesci
Makeup & Hair by: Julie Curl
Costume Design by: Gabriella Gilman
AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE SMITH
Director and Editor of Kismet
How did the film come about?
At Zephyr Entertainment, we love taking a cinematic approach to every project, no matter the shape or size of the content. Back in 2017, while in the midst of several successful festival runs and online releases for some of our other web series and short films, we were itching to go even bigger and bolder. That’s when I was introduced to Z, who had written a fantastic screenplay that fell right in line with our brand — a thriller that pits it’s characters against forces beyond their control. We knew this was the next project we had to take on.
What was one key to the film’s success?
Shooting on-location. Z’s script beautifully captured a rural small town setting that we wanted to capture, both in the cinematography and the performances. After an extensive search, we landed on Mammoth Lakes, California, which aside from being a breathtaking mountain town also provided us with an eerie old 100+ year-old cabin in the middle of the woods. Just being in these locations and interacting with locals helped align everyone in on the cast and crew to the vision of the film.
What were some of the most challenging parts of production?
Logistics proved challenging, namely transporting and housing our cast, crew and equipment from LA for 5 days. Most of us drove up from LA, but one of our cast members, Louisa (who plays Detective Terzi), even flew in from Australia!! Then, there were the unforeseen challenges, including at least 6 feet of snow during our location scout, a rogue bear wandering it’s way near set, and yes, even our camera dying on the last day of production. But our seasoned production staff handled all of these challenges with a sure hand and a smile, and I don’t think production could have gone smoother, all things considered.
What is one takeaway from your time working on this film?
For me personally — and I hope everyone who had a part in bringing this project to life — it was the beauty of collaboration. Though the film itself presents starkly different themes, KISMET was a product of love. Love for films, love for filmmaking and above all else, love for working with genuinely cool people who push you but always make the process fun. I feel blessed to work with such people on every project and look forward to continuing to do so.