Sir Sydney Samuelson, first British Film Commissioner and former BAFTA chair, died on December 14.
Sir Sydney entered the industry in his teens as a ‘rewind boy’ in the projection booth of the Luxor cinema in Lancing, England. He trained as an editor with Gaumont British Newsreel, and in 1954 co-founded Samuelson Film Service with his wife, Doris. The company was set up to service the film and television industries with cameras, lighting, grips, sound equipment, crews and transportation. Working with his brothers, Sir Sydney saw the company grow into one of the largest film and television equipment servicing companies in the world.
Sir Sydney served as BAFTA Trustee and Chair between 1973 and 1976. In 1991, Sir Sydney was invited to become the first ever British Film Commissioner, dedicated to attracting international film productions to the U.K.
Among the many accolades he received were the BSC Golden Camera Award for outstanding services to the U.K. film industry, in 1967, and a special award for his services to U.K. film production as British Film Commissioner. He was also an Honorary Life Member of BECTU; a Fellow of the BFI; one of the founders and the first president of the U.K. Jewish Film Festival (1997-2005); an Honorary Life Fellow of the BKSTS (now IMIS); and an Honorary Life Member of the Guild of British Camera Technicians. He received a CBE in 1978 and was knighted in 1995.
Sir Sydney remained active in supporting the screen industries long after he officially retired in 1997. “He was known for his professionalism, efficiency and flexibility and was always determined to give back to the industry,” said BAFTA’s Jane Millichip and Krishnendu Majumdar in a statement.
Photo courtesy of BAFTA
I was saddened to hear of Sir Sydney’s passing. I had the pleasure of doing several interviews with him. He kindly wrote a foreword for my book In Conversation with Cinematographers. I also wrote two pieces on him for the British Cinematographer magazine. A lovely man. RIP Sir Sydney.