Make More Movies: Michael Glover Smith on 'Hekla' (Ep. 4)

Split Tooth Media has done extensive coverage of Michael Glover Smith’s body of work over the years. Our own Bennett Glace has interviewed him three times — once when his film Mercury in Retrograde (2017) streamed as part of the Gene Siskel Film Center’s “Film Center From Your Sofa” series, and again after the release of his feature film Relative (2022). A third interview was conducted to follow a Split Tooth Presents screening of Mercury in Retrograde at Portland’s Movie Madness Miniplex. Since then, Smith has premiered two films here on our site — Paper Planes (2023), a melancholy Christmas story about agoraphobia, and a vulnerable account of a first date entitled Handle With Care (2024). It is easy to write so much about a creator whose output has been as consistent as Smith’s. In 2026, he already has two artistic endeavors of note. The first is Bob Dylan as Filmmaker: No Time To Think, a book by Smith released on March 2. The second is his fifth official feature film, Hekla, which premiered at the 29th annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in Alabama on March 6. It was quite the busy week for Michael Glover Smith, but he still made time to chat with me about these two new projects and his career as a whole.
With Hekla, Smith crafts his most intimate portrait of a Chicagoan to date. The film’s titular character, a young actress played exuberantly by Elizabeth Stam, spends an entire day moving from one audition to another, rarely getting a moment to breathe. During all of this, she has to deal with relationship issues, headshot appointments, and a live bar performance of Macbeth that night. The character of Hekla first appeared in Smith’s film Relative and Stam was an obvious standout amongst the cast. The decision to revisit this character also marks Smith’s first time making a film without an ensemble cast at the forefront. Typically, a Michael Glover Smith venture features two couples, three couples, or an entire family to keep up with. Here, the filmmaker shows growth in his ability to focus on a sole protagonist, one that Stam herself helped him craft. The film has already garnered some rave reception from those who saw it in Alabama and will continue its festival run this week on March 28 at the Beloit International Film Festival in Wisconsin.
Tune in to hear my conversation with Michael Glover Smith. He was an incredible guest on the podcast and had lots of great advice to give to those crazy enough to pursue a career in film. We discuss the importance of collaborating with the same people throughout your career, pushing your stylistic limits as a director, and taking chances in the editing room. Give it a listen.