Sam McNeil

Bio:
Drawing from a background in natural sciences, in particular ecology, genetics and entomology, as well as his love for science-fiction, Sam plays with fantasy as a multimodal space for expansive, unpredictable and interdisciplinary filmic/ethnographic/sensory inquiry.

Sam is interested in the role that fantasy can be used as a bridge between modes of thought, in order to build the holistic approaches to knowledge generation that are needed to address the threats of climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction and pollution, as well as counter the often hegemonic, inaccessible and eurocentric nature of the sciences. Through filmmaking, Sam explores sensory approaches that foster polyvocalilty and non-textual approaches.

Context:
Sam has recently completed an MA in Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he got to know other KONTEKST members.

Sam is currently working in film festival organisation and curation, alongside freelance work on film productions and continuing work on his own film and writing work.

KONTEKST:
2024: joined the collective in its formative stage and led meetings, drafted the manifesto;
2025: facilitated KONTEKST Film Fest: ARCHIVE (admin, logistics, production, programming, curation); co-facilitated the Desktop Documentary and Digital Autoethnography event; co-organised and curated the 2025 Goldsmiths MA Visual Anthropology Grad Show - Pins and Needles.
Sam is currently a member of KONTEKST’s admin team.

Portfolio:

Selected film work

>DiGi_Fungal-BitR0t
(2025) 21 mins - Trailer here

Screened at ‘Pins and Needles - Anthropology as an Art of Interruption’
Goldsmiths University of London, 2025

Utilising fungal-digital mycorrhizal interfaces, a fungus has bound its mycelial network to telecommunications cables and is accessing the computer of the filmmaker. This screen recording documents these fungal explorations in cyberspace, and in doing so raises questions of the 'fungal' properties of physical, digital and social infrastructures.

Forest Fantasies - Plant Art, Rhizomes and Krabi, 2562
(2025) 20 mins - Watch here

A video essay exploring the 2019 film Krabi, 2562 as an example of both rhizomatic enquiry (from Deleuze and Guattari) and ‘vegetable art’ (from Ursula Le Guin), viewed through the lens of ethnographic filmmaking.

Insect Lab
(2023) 3 mins - Watch here

Documenting the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory at Imperial College London, this short film explores the research lab as a lived environment of the insects it studies. The lab reflects, extrapolates and distorts the insects that inhabit it.

sprouting dalit spores
(2023) 10 mins - Trailer here

This short film documents the performance within dalit spores (2023) by Godhadi collective, as part of the exhibition Touching on Caste, held at Block Projects, Sheffield (see here for more details). The work features sound design by Sam McNeil.

Rakhan
(2023) 18 mins - Watch here

Screened as part of the exhibition ‘Labour of Protesting’ alongside Godhadi collective
Ladder Space, Copenhagen, 2023 - See here for more details

A slow-paced, collaboratively made ethnographic film. The Kharat family and their goats take us through the changing social and physical landscape of their lives in a small village of Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. Family, ecology, caste and politics intersect along the way.

Selected writing

Beyond Understanding: Fictioning the Fungal-Digital Mycorrhizal Interface (2025, essay)

An Aural Space for Dhol-Tashe: Nurturing anti-caste, dalit knowledge through the combined approaches of art workshopping and engaged ethnography (2024, essay)

The high street as a site of state and subject creation as viewed through the survival and resistance of homeless people (2024, essay)

The Representation of Suffering in YouTube Media: I Investigated ‘I Investigated the Underground City of Mole People…’ (2023, essay)

The Hunt Comes to Town (2022, short story)

Published in Anthrazine, vol. 1 (2022)

Twigs (2022, poem)

Published in Anthrazine, vol. 1 (2022)

Selected curatorial experience:

KONTEKST Film Fest 2025: Archive
SET Social, Peckham, London - More details here

On this project I was the logistics & production coordinator, as well as being:  programming & curation co-facilitator, comms & outreach co-facilitator, and KONTEKST collective admin team member.

Pins and Needles - Anthropology as an Art of Interruption (2025)
The Goldsmiths MA Visual Anthropology Grad Show 2025 - More details here

Co-curated the programme, advertised the event (including creating a trailer for the event - available here) and managed the technical requirements of screening work. 

Desktop Documentary and Digital Autoethnography (2025)
Atlas Cinema, Brixton - More details here

Co-planned and facilitated film/workshop event.

Touching on Caste (2024)
Block Projects, Sheffield - More details here

Co-curation of exhibition
Sound design and video documentation for performance within dalit spores - Trailer here

Labour of Protesting (2023)
Ladder Space, Copenhagen - More details here

Co-curation of exhibition