Often quoted for his opinionated and sometimes searing criticism of the international film community and its products, film producer and distributor Kermit Smith was widely recognized at international film festivals and markets due to his involvement with distributing such popular art house hits as Tampopo (1986) and The Wedding Banquet (1993).
A native of Chicago, Smith first worked in the New York music and theater communities with such artists as Phillip Glass before becoming involved with the fashion industry and relocating to Italy in the early '80s. It was there that Smith first ventured into film distribution, teaming with Andrea Occhipinti and Dino Trappetti in founding DAK films. Establishing Lucky Red with Occhipinti the following year, the company soon became a key figure in the distribution of both independent and commercial films by combining a keen sense of marketing savvy with a flair for finding risk-taking films that offered unique and original perspectives. Designing campaigns based on an acute sense of filmgoing tastes and expectations, Lucky Red soon found international success with such offerings as The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and The Opposite of Sex (1998). As a producer, Smith was involved with Cannes favorites such as Mario Martone's L'Amore Molesto (1995) and Rehersal for War (1998), most recently serving as associate producer on Tillsammans (2000).
Focusing more specifically on distribution after a bitter departure from Lucky Red in 1999, Smith formed Key Films and found success in the distribution of such popular films as The Cider House Rules (1999), You Can Count on Me (2000), and The Widow of St. Pierre (2000). Following a brief illness, Smith died in a Rome hospital, in April 2001.
