Biography

Martin Smith is a BAFTA winning filmmaker whose short Tracks (2006) - a naturalistic portrayal of children's cruelty in a powerful, raw and affecting film - won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Short Film.

He’s directed the latest Silent Witness (1996) for BBC Studios and BBC1, and followed this with a return to the North East of Scotland to helm the whole third season of Granite Harbour (2022) with LA Productions for BBC1. He previously served as lead director on Granite Harbour (2022) for LA Productions and BBC1, and also directed Grantchester (2014) for Kudos, Masterpiece PBS and ITV.

He directed 2nd unit on Jack Thorne’s drama Best Interests (2023) with AC Chapter One and Fifth Season for BBC1. The project stars Sharon Horgan, Michael Sheen, Alison Oliver and Niamh Moriarty. He’s also directed 2nd unit on The Bombing of Pan Am 103 (2025) with World Productions for the BBC and Netflix, and Jimmy McGovern’s Unforgivable (2025) with LA Productions for the BBC which stars Bobby Schofield, Anna Friel and Anna Maxwell Martin.

Prior to this Martin directed Holby City (1999) for BBC1 and BBC Studios. The show was Nominated Best Continuing Drama at the BAFTAs, and Nominated Best Continuing Drama at the Broadcast Awards. Armchair Detectives (2017), the crime drama hybrid Martin directed for Tiger Aspect and BBC1, won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Entertainment.

His documentary Jimmy (2011), qualified for The Academy Award® Best Short Documentary nomination, was nominated for the BAFTA New Talent Award, and won the Franklyn Marshall Award for Short Film at the CurtDoc International Documentary Festival, Spain.

Seagulls (2014) had its World Premiere at Berlinale, where it was nominated for the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film. The film won Best Short Children's Film at the Tiburon International Film Festival California, Won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Borrego Springs International Film Festival, and has screened at over 50 film festivals to date, picking up Best Short Film Nominations in over 20 International Competitions. LIAR was his third commissioned short and won the BAFTA New Talent Award for Best Writing.

Martin was selected by the Toronto International Film Festival to participate in their Talent Lab where he was mentored by Danny Boyle and John Collee.
- IMDb mini biography by: Annonymous