John Smith was born in Walthamstow, East London in 1952 and studied film at the Royal College of Art.  Since 1972 he has made over fifty film, video and installation works that have been shown in independent cinemas and art galleries around the world. His work has been awarded major prizes at many international film festivals and has been profiled through retrospective programmes at festivals in Oberhausen, Cork, Tampere, Saint Petersburg, Uppsala, La Rochelle, Regensburg, Winterthur, Karlstad, Mexico City, Glasgow and Bristol.  John Smith lives and works in London.