FILMMAKER
It was at the University of the Arts, London, where he first discovered 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 he 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. It was there he was introduced to directing documentary.
He then further refined his practice through a Master’s in Documentary Film Directing at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art. He achieved a distinction for his film Atur, which premiered in 2024 at the British Shorts Film Festival in Berlin, where it secured 6th place overall in the Audience Award competition.
Following his studies, Sam has created work for world-leading brands, film, and TV, including feature documentaries and short films for organisations such as the BBC, PUMA, Harper’s Bazaar, UEFA, Universal Music Group, and Vogue.
While his focus has often been on craft editing, Sam is also a skilled cinematographer and photographer, capable of self-shooting and producing projects when not collaborating with a crew. He has also directed several music videos and is part of the directing duo NEON KISS.
Sam later served as the Head of Film at SHOWstudio, helmed by fashion photographer Nick Knight, CBE. There, he led projects ranging from documentary series to interviews, fashion films, and music videos for numerous high-profile global clients in the fashion, lifestyle, arts, and cultural sectors.
In addition to his film practice, Sam has led teams to build two successful YouTube and Instagram channels (SHOWstudio, Wall of Entertainment), generating millions of streams each month. He has served on the jury for several film festivals, 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 was President of Documentary at ASVOFF ‘24 in Paris.
Sam has since developed his own projects spanning both documentary and fiction, culminating in the creation of Weave, a boutique production company with a focus on, but not exclusively limited to, branded documentaries.
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
31.01.25 / rubberband. On Film, Fashion and Failure.
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
Mobile / 07966 801 027
Email / samjbassett@gmail.com
LinkedIn / www.linkedin.com/in/smbsstt
Website / www.sammakesfilm.com