Filmmaker Samantha Locock on autism, hyperfocus and the film industry

Written by Samantha Locock

Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to make things and tell stories. I love the idea of plucking something from your mind, creating it and getting other people to feel something from that.

In school, I tried painting and drawing but didn’t have the patience to stick with it. If I wasn’t instantly good at it, I didn’t want to do it. Then, I found photography and filmmaking.

I started off making vlogs in my bedroom, as a teenager, and later went to study film at the University for the Creative Arts. I joined the film industry after graduating.

I’ve been very lucky to work with some incredible filmmakers and to develop a production slate of short films all focused on underrepresented voices.

Some of my closest peers are also neurodivergent but we didn’t necessarily know that when we first started working together.

I created a short film this year called The Birth of a Mall Goth, which is about the autistic need to make sense of the world around you, particularly focused on the main character, May (above, right), coming up with fantastical reasons as to why her sister Gemma (above, left) has become a goth overnight.

It stars incredible autistic actors Emily Carey (Geek Girl) and Lola Blue (A Kind of Spark). It screened at As Film Festival in Rome (a film festival run by neurodivergent programmers) and will screen at Oska Bright in 2026. This was the first film I’d written and directed in five years.

I work in film because I love the idea of sharing different worlds and immersing audiences into stories they may never have thought of before. Being autistic, I find it’s often hard to explain what’s going on in my head but I’ve always had such a vivid imagination.

When I first got the idea for this short film, I had to write it. There was nothing else I could think of or do until I sat at my laptop, hyperfocused for four hours, getting out the first draft. There’s something so exciting and raw about that process of just throwing ideas at the wall to then see what sticks.

When I first wrote the film, I didn’t know I was autistic but I was diagnosed before we went into production. It made me realise that the main theme of the film was something that autistic people go through. I was writing about autism unconsciously, which was interesting to unpack.

I think being neurodivergent means I’m more detail oriented and think logistically in a way that neurotypicals maybe don’t? I had wanted to make this film for two years before we finally made it, so I’d thought of and planned so much that the pre-production went incredibly smoothly. Though, not every project is afforded that luxury of time.

Most of my work is as a producer and that’s where I think neurodivergence can help with thinking outside of the box, as well as rationalising things. I think the biggest challenge for neurodivergent people in the filmmaking world is the unspoken notion that ’that’s the way things are done’.

My brain doesn’t work the best in a big office or doing long hours but when I’m on a roll then there’s no stopping me.

Every neurodivergent filmmaker is different and has their own challenges so it’s also not a one-solution-fits-all, but I think people being aware of sensory issues and knowing workarounds to support people is so important, there’s still a lot of educating needed.

My main goal for the future is to be able to keep creating things. It’s tricky balancing paid work and creative work – the dream would be both. I would love to shape the industry so that it’s more accessible for people like me.

I’m also looking for an agent/representation currently, so that feels like the big next step for me. I want to make fun, silly stories with heart that can make you laugh and then bring a tear to your eye. So, hopefully that will be coming soon, too.

For now, though, I’m just proud of the reception Mall Goth has been getting.

Instagram: @samanthalocock / samanthalocock.com

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