Ken Fero
Assistant Professor
Biography
Ken is a practice-based media lecturer with a focus on production and an international reputation as a documentary filmmaker as well as 20 years’ experience in television broadcast documentaries. Ken has a strong profile of practice work with internationally acclaimed documentaries to his credit including the groundbreaking film 'Injustice'.
Ken’s practice and pedagogy is based around political film-making and community activism. Recent productions include 'Newspeak' (25minutes/2011) an experimental documentary essayist film on censorship, war and resistance. Also completed is 'Defeat of the Champion' (25minutes/2011) a broadcast commission about the campaign to remove CCTV systems imposed on a small Muslim community in Birmingham. The project explores the balance between counter-terrorism and the right to privacy. Students that Ken teaches in the department are often involved in his production work, giving them valuable industry experience. Previous live projects have included filming of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine for which students were highly commended.
Ken is currently producing a feature length experimental documentary about deaths in police custody for cinema release in 2012. As a writer he has published in a range of periodicals and newspapers including Sight and Sound, Red Pepper and the Voice and has been profiled on the BBC, Channel 4, CNN and in the Guardian and the Observer, amongst others.
From 1995 to 2001 Ken worked on 'Injustice'. Critically acclaimed, the film gained press coverage across national and international channels including CNN. 'Injustice' has been screened at over 70 film festivals around the world and Ken travelled with the film across Europe, the US and the Middle East. A major screening of the film took place at the European Parliament where he also spoke. In the UK the film has regular local screenings. IKen holds Q&A sessions at many of the screenings and has debated the film with a range of guests including filmmakers such as Ken Loach, journalists such as Vikram Dodd and government officials such as the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith.
Another strong area of interest is research and documentation into resistance to racism. This is evidenced in his film production work and also in his involvement in BEAT (Black Experience Archive Trust); a high successful research project that teaches black history to school students through the research and production of media work. It is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the City Bridge Trust.
Ken is a founding member of Migrant Media, an independent media collective which undertook training schemes supported by the London Arts Board, UNESCO, Hackney Education Authority, Commission of the European Communities, British Film Institute, Trust for London, London Film and Video Development Agency and the Arts Council. Ken has organised conferences and Film Festivals at the National Film Theatre and continues to present work at conferences, most recently the Documentary Now! Conference at Birbeck organised by Brunel University. Ken is also a project consultant at the Centre for Investigative Journalism.</p/>
Qualifications
- B.A (Hons), Fine Art
- Diploma, Television
Selected outputs
- Fero, K. (2011) NEWSPEAK. [Film]
- Fero, K. (2011) DEFEAT OF THE CHAMPION. [Film]
- Fero, K. (2001) Injustice. [Film] Available from http://www.injusticefilm.tv
- Fero, K. (1995) Justice Denied. [Film]
- Fero, K. (1994) Tasting Freedom. [Film]
- Fero, K. (1992) Sweet France. [Film]
- Fero, K. (1992) After the Storm. [Film]
