The Omnicrisis: Power, Truth and Division with Liz Smith

This talk explores the idea that we are living through a single interconnected “omnicrisis”, shaping how we understand truth, power and each other.

In this artist talk, filmmaker Liz Smith brings together clips from her documentaries, including The Line We Crossed, The Conspiracists and Nowhere To Go, using deep-dive documentary storytelling to enter the worlds of people on different sides of some of the most contested issues of our time.

Her work seeks to humanise these issues by moving beyond headlines and revealing the fears, pressures and lived experiences that shape how people think, act and believe.

At the heart of this omnicrisis is a deeper question of power. Who gets to define reality, whose voices are heard, and how division is produced and sustained in a fast-moving digital landscape that amplifies information at scale, erodes shared truth, and is being reshaped by the transformative power of AI and expanding systems of surveillance.

Structured as a narrative lecture, the talk weaves together film and personal insight to examine the breakdown of shared truth and to ask: how do we begin to bridge the gap between these divided worlds?

The event will be followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A.

Liz Smith is an award winning British documentary filmmaker. Her work is centred around human rights. Her films are the outcome of years of study on the issues driving the rise of populism and the erosion of our democratic rights. However, researching the issues can only go so far. Her approach of spending time with affected communities on the frontline delivers a much deeper understanding of the forces driving these trends. Her recent feature documentaries include I Am Gen Z, The Line We Crossed and The Conspiracists. She is currently in post-production on the film Nowhere To Go, and has more recently embarked on a new film about women’s rights.

I Am Gen Z investigates the impact of digital technology on the first generation to grow up with mobiles in their pockets. It premiered at CPH:DOX in 2021 and won Best Feature Film at the Lower East Side Film Festival.

The Conspiracists explores the profound and unsettling impact of conspiracy theories on individuals and society and won the award for Best Documentary Feature at The Miami Women Festival 2025 and was released in cinemas in the UK in 2026.

The Line We Crossed exposes the alarming erosion of the right to protest in the UK and had a successful theatrical release in the UK in 2025 as well as winning the award for Best Feature Film at the Environmental Film & Screenplay Festival.

Nowhere To Go Filmed over three years across Poland, France and the UK, this film investigates the narrowing of asylum protections in Europe. Bearing witness to lives shaped by policy and rhetoric, the film reveals how deterrence does not stop movement, it reshapes it, and reminds us that behind every policy is a life in motion.

In addition to her documentary works she writes about human rights issues on her Substack.

Booking essential. Limited places.

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