Sam Firth

Sam Firth is a practicing artist/filmmaker and lecturer with an interest in both documentary and fiction filmmaking. Her work explores the relationship between content and form and the function of narrative and has won awards internationally.

Sam has been as a script consultant for a number of organisations including Film Four, Screen Yorkshire and the Welsh Arts Council. For many years Sam ran her own film production company Tiny Spark Productions where, as well as producing her own work, she developed and delivered educational film programmes in primary and secondary schools across Scotland.  Sam has also delivered programmes for the BFI Young Filmmakers Academy and taught at the Met Film School and has won awards for her work in this area.

Sam Firth's primary area of expertise is in filmmaking practice and pedagogy. 

Sam's first three films form a tryptich of work using first person filmmaking to explore notions of self identity and the constuction of personal narrative. Her film Stay the Same (2012) won International Competition in 2013 at Videoex Experimental film festival in Zurich and a special mention at Stuttgart Filmwinter. Her first film I.D. won the DepicT! Award at Encounters Film Festival and the Human Condition Competition at Chicago International Film Festival in 2010 and has been screened at the Tate Modern in Liverpool.

In 2012 Sam won a special commendation in the Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Award and an award of £10,000 for her work. 

Her most recent film Creeling was her first foray into directing fiction exploring the depiction of female sexuality and sexual desire in cinema. Creeling screened at the Edinburgh Film International film festival.

Sam has evaluated, developed, facilitated and delivered community film projects with children and young people since 2001 and has won awards for her work in this area. Over this time Sam developed innovative ways of working with children and young people to explore their creativity through film. This interest in teaching creativity and encouraging creativity in teaching has continued in her role in HE and she has delivered workshops for academics on the subject. 

Sam is currently working on a feature length documentary using fiction filmmaking techniques to explore  the construction of narrative and identity in autobiographical memory. 

The project has funding from the BFI, Wellcome Trust and Creative Scotland.

Sam is also has an interest in increasing diversity within the film industry and exploring barriers to inclusive learning in teaching filmmaking within academic institutions.