Being John Smith

After enduring many decades of embarrassment, the filmmaker finally admits that possessing the most common name in the English-speaking world has had a profound impact on his sense of self. Combining fragments of autobiography with interjections concerning confidence, self-doubt and the state of the world, Being John Smith takes us on a confessional journey that addresses universal dilemmas as well as personal ones, revealing just how important a name can be.

The film won the Golden Dove award at DOK Leipzig 2024 and also participated in the Toronto International Film Festival 2024, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2024, or the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. The film had its Czech premiere on BOO 2025.

John Smith’s films have been shown in independent cinemas, art galleries and on television around the world. Known for their formal ingenuity, subversive wit and oblique storytelling, his films blur the perceived boundaries between documentary and fiction, playfully exploring and exposing the language of cinema. Retrospectives of Smith’s films have been presented at international film festivals in 16 countries.