Anthony Stern

Anthony Stern (26 October 1944 – 10 February 2022) was a British experimental filmmaker and glass maker. He first started making films while at Cambridge University, then worked as assistant to the avant-garde documentary film maker Peter Whitehead.

Stern was born in Cambridge, England, on 26 October 1944. At the age of 18, Stern and Syd Barrett held a joint painting exhibition in Cambridge. He later moved to London and became involved in the film and music scene. Stern made films, took photographs, and amassed a body of work which eventually grew into an archive.

Stern developed the concept of the impressionistic documentary with his BFI financed work San Francisco: Film, which was produced by Iris Sawyer, Jeremy Mitchell, Anthony and his friend Alan Callan. The film was cut to one of the first recordings of "Interstellar Overdrive" performed by Pink Floyd, whose lead guitarist Syd Barrett was a friend of Stern's. It won awards for cinematography at the Oberhausen, Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals.

Later he began developing a non linear film concept with Syd Barrett called "Wheel", an impressionistic piece, which was designed to be seen many times, with each viewing the audience making new discoveries.

On 14 April 1969, Stern went to the Royal Festival Hall to film Pink Floyd as they rehearsed for their 'Man/Journey' show, billed as 'The Massed Gadgets of Auximenes' – More Furious Madness from Pink Floyd. The filming was interrupted by a RFH official who demanded he s…