Russ Smith
Producer Russell Smith began his career producing plays for Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago. In a five year period, he produced fifty plays, notable among them: True West ... and Balm in Gilead. During that time Steppenwolf became known as one of America's finest theatres. The notable alumni of Steppenwolf include Academy Award® nominees John Malkovich, Gary Sinise and Joan Allen.
For three summers, Smith worked as an arts consultant producing the First National Bank of Chicago's famed summer concert series. He produced the hit play, Orphans off- Broadway. In 1987, Gary Sinise and Russell Smith made their first film together, Miles From Home. In 1988, he produced the film Queen's Logic.
In 1989, Smith became the head of production for New Visions Pictures and oversaw the production of five films, among them: The Long Walk Home and Mortal Thoughts. His other film credits include the award winning short film The Witness and the acclaimed Of Mice and Men. In 1994, Mr. Smith formed a company with longtime friend John Malkovich. In 1997 he produced the blockbuster United Artists film The Man in the Iron Mask which starred Leonardo Di Caprio, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne and Jeremy Irons.
In April of 1998, Russ joined partners Lianne Halfon and John Malkovich in forming the company Mr. Mudd. In 2001, Mr. Mudd produced Ghost World, a live action feature based on Dan Clowes' comic, directed by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb) and starring Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. Ghost World was released to critical acclaim and earned an Academy Award® nomination for best adapted screenplay. The Dancer Upstairs, directed by John Malkovich and starring Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem was released in May 2003 by Fox Searchlight.
Along with his partners, Russ Smith serves as Executive Producer on the documentary How to Draw a Bunny; a portrait of artist Ray Johnson. How to Draw a Bunny won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and the Prix de Public at the famed Recontre Film Festival in Paris. The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best documentary in 2003.
Set in 17th Century London, ,The Libertine starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich and Samantha Morton was produced in 2004, and tells the true story of the Earl of Rochester (Depp), famed poet, sexual provocateur and wit. The film garnered seven Britsh Independent Film Award nominations and one win. In the same year, Halfon and partners wrapped production on the eagerly anticipated Art School Confidential, reuniting the Ghost World team of Zwigoff and Clowes. Dan Clowes adapted his comic serial for Terry Zwigoff to direct. The film stars ingenues Max Minghella and Sophia Myles along with veteran actors John Malkovich, Angelica Huston, and Jim Broadbent. Both The Libertine, and Art School Confidential were released domestically in the spring of 2004.
Presently, Fox Searchlight is set to release the Mandate/Mr. Mudd produced picture Juno. Juno stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). Juno finds her unborn child a perfect set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.
Directed by Jason Reitman. Minneapolis-based journalist and author Diablo Cody penned the script. Lianne Halfon, Russell Smith and John Malkovich produced along with Mason Novick. Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane of Mandate Pictures are the executive producers. Juno premiered as the surprise hit at the Toronto film festival, it won the top prize at the Rome film festival, and has continued to win critical and audience awards at festivals. The comedy was just nominated for 4 separate Spirit awards including Best Picture.
Which Way Home, a documentary by Sundance award winner Rebecca Cammisa, is the story of children crossing the border from Mexico into the United States and was developed with HBO. Shot in Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and the American southwest, is currently in post-production and will be released in the summer 2008.
In the spring, he and partners will re-team with filmmaker John Walter (How to Draw a Bunny) on his adaptation of Lawrence Joseph's novel Lawyerland, which Walter is directing. Lawyerland is a work of fiction chronicling downtown Manhattan lawyers in the late 1990's, and is a scathingly hilarious view of the chasm between the spirit of the law and its practice.
In development is Triple Crossing, an adaptation of the first novel by Los Angeles Times' award-winning Paris bureau-chief, Sebastian Rotella, a thriller that centers in the most lawless triangle on earth, the South American triple borders of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.
Also in development is a classic crime drama set in modern Europe, with Ray Winstone attached to star and partner John Malkovich attached to direct.