Samuel Barnes is an Australian filmmaker based in Djaara country, Victoria. Born and raised in Eora/Sydney, Sam is a Media Arts and Production grad from the University of Technology Sydney. In 2013, he studied abroad at the University of Texas, Austin, and in 2019, he moved to Naarm/Melbourne to finish his Masters of Narrative Film and Television at the Victorian College of Arts. Since 2022, he’s been working with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of their video design team.
In 2025, Sam produced the ACMI commissioned animation, Baan Biik Woora Woora in collaboration with Mick Harding, from the Yowong-Illam-Baluk and Nattarak Baluk clans of the Taungurung people, for the First Nations Welcome Installation and his short film, Being Here, had it’s Australian premiere at the Reel Good Film Festival.
Blending fiction with a documentary style, Sam's filmmaking practice explores themes of identity and place. With his slow and subtle cinematic approach, Sam’s films give insight into different ways of seeing and understanding our place within the world. As he continues to hone his craft in storytelling, Sam hopes to make films that inspire a sense of empathy and wonder in his audiences.
sghbarnes@gmail.com
+61 401 799 945
© 2026
︎︎︎
