Dr Ken Fero

Ken Fero is a filmmaker, activist, educator and founding member of Migrant Media which, since 1991, has produced several radical documentaries examining community responses to issues of race, class and resistance. His ground-breaking and multi-award winning 2001 feature documentary Injustice, regarding the killings of predominantly Black people in the UK, had significant international and political impact. It was screened in the European Parliament where Fero also spoke. It is also currently banned by all UK broadcasters. Fero’s recent film, Ultraviolence (2020), reveals the history of militant resistance to UK state violence and was officially selected for the BFI London Film Festival also winning a Special Jury Award (Queens World Film Festival 2021), Special Audience Award (Arbetar Film Festival 2021) and Best Documentary (British Urban Film Festival 2021). Ultraviolence is currently distributed by the British Film Institute.

Alongside this, Fero has helped initiate several grassroots organisations including the United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC) and currently the People’s Tribunal on Police Killings and has also extensively assisted filmmakers in the Middle East, most recently with Palestine Returned (2019). He was the film investigator in the Arts & Humanities Research Council supported research project, producing the documentary Exposed (2022) which revealed the experiences of racism toward Black, Asian and migrant nurses during the pandemic and has led to the establishment of a National Manifesto for an Anti-Racist NHS. Fero is an exponent of tantric laboratory based teaching at Postgraduate level and also supervises PhD students across several universities. His specialisms include art and media for social change and use of film to influence policy at national and international levels.

He is currently producing a feature length documentary film on The Bradford 12 which will explore the victory of Asian youths as part of the Black Power movement in the UK in asserting their right to self-defence against fascist attacks in the 1980s, as well as their legacy today.

Qualifications

• PhD - Sheffield Hallam University (2018)
• PG Diploma in Television - Goldsmiths College, London University (1988)
• BA (Hons) Fine Art - First Class, Camberwell School of Art (1984)

Relevant Past Employment

2011 – 15 Visiting Lecturer in Media Production, Regent's University London.
2008 – present Senior Lecturer in Documentary Production, Coventry University.
2007 – 2014 Visiting Lecturer MA Documentary Practices Brunel University.
2007 –  2010 Visiting Lecturer Canterbury College.
2005 – 2007 Visiting Lecturer Documentary Production Buckingham & Chilterns University.
1991 – present Director Producer Migrant Media

• Fero, K. (2021) Obstinate memory: Documentary as trauma in disrupting state narratives on racial violence. Viewfinder Magazine.

• Fero, K. (2018). Documentary practice as radical process in challenging dominant media and state narratives. PhD Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 11 September 2018.
• Fero, K. (2018), ‘Kino Praxis’, Visual Research network Conference, Manchester University, Manchester, 21 September 2018.
• Fero, K. (2018), ‘Injustice’, Interrogating State Violence: Custodial Deaths, Justice and Resistance Conference, School of Law, Birkbeck University, London, 26 October 2018.
• Fero, K. (2019), ' Documentary practice as radical process’, What Is Radical Film? Conference, Silent Green Kulturquartier, Berlin, Germany, 04 May 2019.
• Fero, K. (2019), ‘Palestine Returned’, Creative Interruptions Conference, National Film Theatre supported by AHRC in conjunction with Brunel and Sheffield Hallam Universities, London, 17 June, 2019.
• Fero, K. (2019), ‘Immersive Documentary Education‘, 'Face To Face ‘Documentary Education Conference, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 20 June, 2019.
• Fero, Ken  (2015) 'Migrant Media and the road to ‘Injustice' Chapter published in Race & Class, Vol. 57 July-September 2015. ISBN 978-0-85702-7145-63
• Fero, Ken (2015) 'Road To Injustice' published in 'Dying for Justice' new book by Institute of Race Relations launched at House of Commons. ISBN 9780850010756
• Fero, Ken (2015) 'Cinematic for the People' delivered at Radical Film Network Conference, Birmingham City University
• Fero, Ken (2014)  ‘Liberating Minds’ -  Institute of Race relations, http://www.irr.org.uk/news/liberating-media/
• Fero, Ken (2014)  ‘State Violence Exposed’ Published in Socialist Review Issue No 336
• Fero, Ken (2013)  ‘Who Policies The Police’ Published in October 2012 in Red Pepper.

Other Outputs

2022 – EXPOSED (58 minutes/UK/AHRC)
2020 – ULTRAVIOLENCE (75 minutes/UK/Migrant Media)

Winner Documentary Feature Silver Latitude Film Awards 2020, Special Jury Award Queens World Film Festival 2021, Special Audience Award Arbetar Film Festival 2021, Winner Best Documentary British Urban Film Festival 2021

2017 - THE EYES OF ALIYAH (17 minutes/UK/ESRC)
2017 - AADEN & THE SPIDERS (14 minutes/UK/ESRC)
2014 - BURN (30 minutes/UK/Migrant Media)
2013 - POPO (25 minutes/UK/Migrant Media)
2012 - WHO POLICES THE POLICE (52 minutes/UK/Migrant Media)
2011 - NEWSPEAK (25minutes/PressTV)
2011 - DEFEAT OF THE CHAMPION (25minutes/PressTV)
2001 - INJUSTICE (98 minutes/Migrant Media)

Winner Best Documentary - BFM London Film Festival 2002,  Winner National Social Justice Award 2003, Winner Best Documentary (Human Rights) - One World Film Festival 2003. Distributed by the BFI.

1995 - JUSTICE DENIED (52minutes/Channel 4 TV)

1994 - TASTING FREEDOM (52minutes/Channel 4 TV)

1992 - SWEET FRANCE (52minutes/Channel 4 TV)

Winner Mentione Speciale Images du Monde Arabe and Milano Province Prize 5th Festival of African Cinema.

1992 - AFTER THE STORM (25minutes/BBC TV)

1991 - BRITAIN’S BLACK LEGACY (45minutes/FR3TV)

1991 - GERMANY – THE OTHER STORY (30minutes/FR3TV)

Winner Platform Europe Award

• PhD Supervisor at Salahaddin University
• PhD Supervisor at Coventry University
• PhD Supervisor at Sheffield Hallam University
• MA supervision on 21^st Century Media Practice at Coventry University
• PhD Advisor as Visiting Research Fellow Goldsmiths College

Research Interests

• Documentary Film Production
• Activist Media, Interactive Media
• Drone Technology & Social Movements

2019 - Paris-London Urban Cultures (HASS Research Funded) The project included the French transcription and subtitling of the film Injustice. On completion this was screened in the Cité Nationale de l'Histoire de l'Immigration for the exhibition entitled Paris- London Music Connections (1962-1989) in May. http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/agenda/2019-03/injustice

The contextual exhibition ran from March - September 2019. Following this the film was launched on Vimeo for public viewing as well as screenings in France following the exhibition.

Journal – I researched and wrote on urban cultures in relation to documentary production. This article is published in the peer reviewed Journal Hommes et Migrations in September 2019. Printed for over 40 years, Hommes & Migrations explores the experience of migrants in France and internationally. Pluralistic and multidisciplinary in its approach, the revue addresses experiences and disciplines in this area. The publications of themed dossiers on migration movements, the realities of immigration and intercultural dialogues. The article was published as follows:

Documenter les luttes de l’immigration. Regards croisés entre la France et l’Angleterre avec Mogniss Abdallah. hommes et migration N° 1326 juillet-septembre 2019. ISBN 978-2-919040-46-9

I published a further article ‘Assassinats par la police au Royaume-Uni’ in “Le Crieur”, Journal de l’association des victim de crime securities, France. This was part of a special event in Lyon - Injustice : Lutte Contre Les Crimes Sécuritaires conference Cinema Les Amphis, Vaulx-en-Velin, France in June.

2018 - Deport, Deprive Extradite (ESRC Funded)

Working with Dr Nisha Kapoor in the Sociology Department at York University I produced film outputs for the Economic and Social Research Council supported ‘Deport, Deprive, Extradite’ research project that investigated the shifting dynamics of racism and the security state in the UK.

• Scientific Committee Member - Visual Research Network
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• National Union of Journalists – Independent Producer