University of the Arts, London, was where he first discovered documentary filmmaking. This became a way of engaging with both his Media and Cultural Studies degree and the world around him. As a person with ASD, filmmaking provided Sam with the opportunity to express himself through non-written and non-linear forms of communication - and is now an advocate for people with learning and developmental difficulties to have access to filmmaking.
Following his undergraduate degree he was selected as the UK representative for the Aristoteles Workshop in Romania, which fosters a new generation of creative documentary filmmakers from around the world, where he was introduced to directing documentary.
He then refined his practice further through a Masters in Documentary Film Directing at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art. There he achieved a distinction for his film Atur, which premiered in 2024 at the British Shorts Film Festival in Berlin, receiving 6th place overall in the Audience Award competition.
Throughout and after his studies, he has edited for brands, film and TV, including feature documentaries and short films for the likes of the BBC, PUMA, Harper’s Bazaar, UEFA, Universal Music Group and Vogue. Sam has also directed a number of music videos and is a member of the directing duo, NEON KISS.
In addition to his film practice, Sam has been on the jury for several film festivals. He has been a guest curator for the Video Art & Experimental Film Festival in New York, led workshops on experimental filmmaking at FASHIONCLASH in the Netherlands, and is President of Documentary at ASVOFF ‘24 in Paris.
Alongside his freelance practice Sam is the head of film at SHOWstudio, helmed by fashion photographer Nick Knight, CBE.
Sam has since gone on to develop his own projects spanning both documentary and fiction, leading to the creation of Weave, a boutique production collective with a focus on, but not exclusively, documentary and editing.
19.02.24 / Coeval Magazine, Interview Feature
20.01.24 / The New Current Magazine, Interview Feature
15.12.22 / University of Edinburgh, Degree Show Interview
01.03.18 / Sabukaru, Interview Feature
CRITISISM / CURATION
15.11.24 / FASHIONCLASH - Jury
07.11.24 / ASVOFF - Jury, President of Documentary
04.06.24 / FASHIONCLASH - Bootcamp, Workshop Leader
18.11.23 / Video Art & Experimental Film Festival, New York City - Jury and Guest Curator
17.11.23 / FASHIONCLASH - Jury
12.11.23 / Fashion Film Festival Istanbul - Jury
ARTICLES
23.02.24 / Skating and Fashion Filmmaking Through The Lens Of Antoine Plainfossé
22.11.23 / Film Spotlight: SHOWstudio’s Head of Fashion Film on ‘HUM (WE/US)’
ENQUIRIES
samjbassett@gmail.com