Jake Smith
Jake J. Smith is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker and creative producer/director from the UK whose work focuses on intimate human stories, social justice, and emerging technology. His films have explored themes including incarceration, trauma, agency, digital identity, and the ethics of AI.
Jake is the director and producer of Lady Lifers (2025), a feature-length documentary filmed in maximum-security prisons in the United States, in collaboration with The Film Sales Company. His previous work includes the RTS-winning short documentary Women Lifers, the globally distributed North Korea documentary While They Watched, and a wide range of international projects filmed across the UK, USA, Ghana, Kenya, India, and South Korea.
He has delivered commissioned work for organisations including the NHS, WaterAid, Mental Health UK, and Resonance and his documentary output has been covered by outlets including The Guardian and The Telegraph. Jake specialises in character-led documentary storytelling, visual craft, and ethical production, with a strong interest in the intersection between humanity and technology.
