About Sam Firth
Sam was born and grew up in Walthamstow but moved three years ago to a remote peninsular on the north west coast of Scotland where she teaches film making, edits and writes scripts, and makes her own films. I.D. has also picked up the Best Student Short at the Celtic Media Festival this year.
Toronto
July 3rd, 2010
So just a quick update . . it’s been incredibly busy, way too busy. I have a week left of shooting my bridging the gap film and am really looking forward to editing it (very exciting).
So, I.D. got into the Toronto World Wide Short Film Festival and because of the British Council prize I got funded to go. I had a fantastic time, did my first Q&A in front of a public audience, met some really cool film makers from all over the world, saw some great films, and met some folk who maybe I will work with in the future, we shall see. I also met the programming team from the Saguenay Film Festival who showed I.D. as part of the Encounters British Showcase who are a lovely bunch. And I have to thank Eileen the festival director who helped me out of a tight spot, by putting me up in her house, when I missed my flight home!
I’ve been chatting more with Antonia Bird who is fantastic – couldn’t want more from a mentor I have a short drama she is going to read and I’m looking forward to her feedback . . she is a champion of female film makers and it’s great to know she is there if I need her. Officially the six months mentoring is up, but Antonia is really up for carrying on as it feels very much like we have only just begun (especially we’ve not managed to meet up in person yet because of distances).
Oh and I.D. is showing at Tenderpix the experimental arm of Soho Rushes:
http://tenderpixel.com/tenderflix2010.html
So still applying for film festivals as have two travel bursaries still to apply for from the British Council and Toronto was so inspiring I want more. I’m spending August in London teaching young film makers at the Met Film School so hopefully will get to go to some BAFTA events.
Oh and looking forward to finding out which cinemas I.D. is going to be showing at!
It’s my birthday next week and I can’t help think what an incredible year it has been . . and the Depict award has definitely played a part . . just the sheer amount of stuff that has happened as a result of it. Getting selected for Bridging the Gap, doing the NFTS course, going to Toronto and my conversations with Antonia are going to have a lasting impact on me and have been really inspiring in terms of new directions I am going to take. It’s also been the hardest year of my life but that is another story . . . . .
More soon I promise!
Sam
Talking with Antonia Bird and Bridging the Gap
March 19th, 2010
Just a quickie to say I got the Bridging the Gap commission! Hooray! After weeks of build up culminating in a seven minute pitch to Scottish Screen, BBC Scotland, HIE and the Scottish Documentary Institute I got a phone call yesterday just as I was getting the boat home. So I now have funding to direct a 10 minute documentary about me and worms . . . here’s a link to the trailer if you’d like to see it:
I also had a great conversation with my BAFTA mentor Antonia Bird the other week. She was very supportive and talked about extending the mentor – mentee relationship for as long as I want which is just amazing, a dream come true really. I may even go on shoot with her to help out to get some more experience on set. We’ve not managed to meet yet due to my remoteness but I’m sure we will at some point and in the mean time are going to have regular phone contact.
I’ve also started sending I.D. off to festivals as part of the British Council scheme so fingers crossed it gets in somewhere and I can go away with the film. My fingers are crossed for the Puchon Fantastic Film Festival in Korea.
So things are very exciting right now . . possibly a little overwhelmingly even and there is lots of work to do, but this is no bad thing. I just have to ride it and try and make sure I look after myself too. (The trailer for my film explains why).
Will keep you updated on my progress!
Going to the NFTS
March 2nd, 2010
Last week I got back from doing the course in Directing Actors at the NFTS with Bryan Gilbert who directed Wilde. It was a fantastic experience. I got to use the NFTS studio with my own crew and professional actors at least one of whom I am fairly certain I will be working with in the future. I realise now I should have got someone to take some pictures for this blog. Apologies. I’ll make sure I take my camera if I get to go to any film festivals with the British Council.
There were some really interesting people on the course and it was just what I needed. Everything Bryan taught made sense and chimed with my screenwriting training. Bryan was very encouraging and has given me the confidence to start preparing to shoot a short drama which I wrote nearly ten years ago. My plan is to film here in Knoydart in the autumn. Claudia my main collaborator has been hounding me to get this particular script out dust it down and do it justice for years now.
The course was intense and I came back exhausted. I had to start rehearsing my actors on the second day of the course and had one evening to prepare the scene before meeting them. I was also trying to spend a small amount of time with my family too in the brief window that I was in London. But I came away wanting more. To do more directing and more courses at the NFTS. So thank you to DepicT! and the NFTS for a brilliant prize really.
I’ve also made contact with Antonia Bird my BAFTA who has a really busy schedule and I’m really grateful that she is going to try and take time out to meet me in Edinburgh. It looks like we might hook up on the day I have to do my final pitch to the Scottish Documentary Insitute for their Bridging the Gap scheme before they announce their commissions, so a pep talk from her might be just what I need. Fingers crossed for the 16th March.
Otherwise all is well here in Knoydart it’s been very cold and we didn’t get much post last week because there’s been so much snow in the highlands, but here it has been beautiful, clear blue skies and very calm. We are expecting the prerequisite storms to come soon though as we don’t usually escape a winter without them. I think being eternally pessimistic about the weather is part of being a highlander. The good days are always a pleasant surprise to be cherished. Especially when the hoards of tourists haven’t turned up yet. So I am enjoying lots of breaks walking along the coast and saw an otter last week which made my day. Couldn’t be further away from the NFTS now, but I’m taking it all with me and feel very much inspired and enthused, so watch this space.
More soon.
Sam
Thank you to Watershed and BAFTA
February 1st, 2010
Just a quick entry to say thank you to Watershed and BAFTA for offering me some money to fund a trip to London to do my NFTS course and hopefully meet up with Antiona. Feel a bit guilty after moaning so much!
Will write more soon . . . . .
New Beginnings!
January 12th, 2010
So today I set as the day to start writing my blog about my Depict! British Special Mention Award . . . unfortunately it’s a day that so far seems to be dominated by having no money!
It was fantastic to be at Encounters both as part of Depict! and to have my film in the Best of British section and a few things have happened since then. I’ve had quite a few people get in touch about screening I.D. although nothing definite and I got selected on to the Bridging the Gap documentary making scheme. I’m really looking forward to going to Edinburgh this weekend for the first session. I am one of twelve film makers selected seven of whom get funding to make a ten minute documentary so fingers crossed. I get to hear about their projects on Saturday which will be really interesting. (My film is called Suprise: Your Body is Eating Itself! and it’s also all about me). I’ll tell you more about it in another blog.
Oh and I.D. screened on Sunday at the I.C.A as part of the London Short Film Festival. I used to visit the I.C.A. a lot when I lived in London (I was a bit of a Batmacumba groupie) so it felt great having a film on there even if it is wee and even if I couldn’t be at the screening but Claudia was there as my representative and said the film was well received.
Instead I took the day off and went on a big walk to some waterfalls which have had two weeks now to freeze. I’ve added a picture as they were pretty amazing.
So there seems to be lots and lots of opportunities at the moment but so far no money involved, the lack of money I guess is just typical of the lot of a struggling film maker and largely the result of most of my life choices. Which is why if I am totally honest I had hoped more than anything to win the cash and it’s taken me a while to get my head around this award and what it means. It’s value is certainly more than two grand and I’ll have to keep remembering that when I get my electric bill next month. Having the opportunities makes this a lucky time for me and I have to make the most of it. I also seem to have lots of ideas all achievable with very little money and my faithful Sony Z1 so not a bad position at all to be in. It’s just hard went you have that nagging fear of rent at the back of your mind. The idea of being given a cheque to do what I want with was so appealing. It would have probably vanished on said rent and new shoes but I had grand ideas about spending it on making films.
I think I’m just having one of those days. It’s January and I’ve chosen to live in the middle of nowhere. I love this place and the inspiration I get from it, but it costs an arm and a leg if I want to go anywhere. Life seems such a fine balancing act and today I am spinning plates.
So, enough on life, in terms of the Depict! Award so far the NFTS offered me a selection of three different courses and I’ve chosen Directing Actors which is in February. I chose it mainly on the basis of it filling me with the most fear which seemed a good reason. BAFTA have assigned Antonia Bird as my mentor which is very exciting and I’m hoping to meet her when I’m in London doing the NFTS course. All I need now is to find the money for the boat hire and train fare to get there!
I did get very excited about the idea of bringing my BAFTA mentor to Knoydart so they could spend some time away from the London centric film industry walking in the mountains with me and discussing life, art and film making then show their films to the other hundred people who live here in the village hall as a way of sharing my prize with my local community, but for some reason BAFTA didn’t seem to go with the idea.
The most remote film festival on mainland Britain is however a tentative plan that might just come off (although yet again, not a venture that is going to make a lot of money). Hey ho, such is life!
Over and out for now.
Award Winner’s Diary: Sam Firth
December 3rd, 2009
Sam Firth picked up the inaugural DepicT! British Special Mention Award for her short film I.D., a very personal piece about finding her identity in the intimacy of the photo booth.
She was presented with her Award at the Encounters Award Ceremony by juror Amaka Ugwunkwo from the British Council and Tim Hunter from BAFTA. She wins a package of career development opportunities from NFTS, BAFTA, British Council and Shooting People throughout 2010.
Follow her progress throughout the year on this diary.
