Anna Smith is a broadcaster and one of the UK’s top film critics.
She is the former President of the UK Critics’ Circle, the host of the Girls On Film podcast and a regular film critic for BBC News, Sky News, BBC Radio, Deadline Hollywood, Time Out, Metro, The Guardian, Sight & Sound, Empire and more.
She has spent over a decade interviewing major actors and directors on stage, on screen and in print.
A former magazine editor, Anna decided to go freelance in 2000, and has since enjoyed stints as Acting Film Editor of both Time Out London and Metro UK Newspaper.
Her twitter is @annasmithjourno and can be contacted by
Anna frequently appears on TV and radio, reviewing films and discussing breaking film news and awards contenders.
She is a regular on Sky News and joined Alex Zane, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Boyd Hilton and Rachel Riley on the Sky Oscars channel sofa throughout the exclusive live UK broadcast of the 2017 Academy Awards.
She has appeared on BBC World, BBC News (The Film Programme), BBC Newsnight, BBC Persian and the One O'clock news on BBC1.
Her radio gigs include Radio 4 (The Today Programme, You And Yours, Front Row), The World Service, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Scotland and Monocle 24.
Anna is long-time contributor to some of the UK’s most prominent titles, including The Guardian, Time Out London, Sight & Sound, Metro UK newspaper and Empire magazine.
A ‘Top Critic’ on the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, she has spent the past 17 years immersing herself in film and honing her critical skills and has become one of the most respected and well-known critics in the UK. Examples of her work are here:
Anna is a regular on the London junket circuit and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Over the past few years she has become known for her lively, intelligent interviewing style and her ability to make a connection with the talent. Here are a few of her interviews.
In late 2018, Anna launched the ground-breaking podcast Girls On Film which quickly gained popularity and was listed as No. 1 in Stylist's Best Feminist Film Podcasts. Each episode features female film critics, commentators or activists reviewing new releases and dissecting classic films from a female perspective.
A fun and lively show as well as a thought-provoking one, Girls On Film has had successful live shows at the Cannes Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, HOME in Manchester and private members clubs in London. Guest interviewees have included Carey Mulligan, Amma Asante, Kathryn Hahn and Brie Larson. You can subscribe to the podcast on itunes here: Girls On Film.
A professional, unflappable and engaging Q&A host, Anna has moderated press conferences and on-stage conversations for BAFTA, BIFA, Birds Eye View and many major film studios as well as corporate clients such as Apple.
Julianne Moore, Emma Thompson, Hugh Jackman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Felicity Jones, Louis Theroux, Nick Hornby, Rebecca Miller, Patricia Clarkson, Vanessa Hudgens and Jason Reitman are among those she has hosted over the past few years.
As President of The Critics’ Circle and Chair of the Film Section, Anna has opened the proceedings at the world-renowned London Critics’ Circle Film Awards for several years running. She has presented awards at this ceremony and others including the National Dance Awards and the Screen Awards, at which she was a judge.
Other juries Anna has sat on include the Screen Awards, the Rotten Tomatoes jury at Edinburgh International Film Festival, the FIPRESCI jury at the Cannes Film Festival and - last but by no means least - Cannes’ famous canine contest, the Palm Dog Awards, at which she appears annually.