Anna Snowball
Documentary Filmmaker

About

ABOUT

I’m Anna Snowball, a documentary filmmaker based in the UK.

I tell stories of outsiders, underdogs, and people caught between cultures — local stories with global resonance. My directing work blends unique access, observational filmmaking, and touches of magical realism.

I have been named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2025 and recently served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards in association with Netflix.

My latest short, Iranian Yellow Pages, won the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund, was nominated for both a Grierson Award and Critics’ Circle Award, and screened at BFI London, Big Sky, and AFI Fest. It received coverage in Screen Daily, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Broadcast, and Variety, and received a five-star review and Pick of the Day from David Reviews.

Other notable shorts include:

  • A Horse Has More Blood Than A Human (producer, 2020) — premiered at Visions du Réel and won a Golden Frog at Camerimage.

  • Spring Fever (2019) — screened at BFI London and Aesthetica, broadcast on Arte’s CourtCircuit.

  • #TradWives (2018) — nominated for the Iris Prize, Best of British.

  • Cambodia Calling (2015) — shortlisted for a Grierson Student Award.

  • The Lights of Flushing (2012) — BFI-funded, screened at Open City Docs and LSFF.

I’m currently developing a feature documentary with producer Julia Ton (Grand Theft Hamlet), supported through NETWORK@BFI LFF 2025 and Creative Europe’s ESoDoc Development Lab.

Through my company Snow Films, I’ve produced nonfiction shorts for over 10 years, with commissions from BBC One, Channel 4, CNN, NOWNESS, and BBC Radio 4. As an observational cinematographer, I’ve shot for Volya Film’s Breaking Waves (Netherlands Film Festival premiere) and the BAFTA-nominated Vice documentary, Disabled Not Defeated. I also direct commercials and branded films for clients such as Fairy, Red Bull, Essity, and the British Red Cross, and am represented by Fresh Film for commercial work.

I’m an alumna of the National Film and Television School Directing Documentary MA, where I now teach across MA, Diploma, and short courses. I’ve also led workshops for young and emerging filmmakers internationally, spoken on panels at Raindance, Aesthetica, and BFI London, and moderated Q&As at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

A white woman in her 30s with a dark bob haircut, looks at the camera, in front of a white background. She wears a white t shirt with a colourful print on the front.