Ken Jacobs
Known for Directing · 37 credits
- Born
- 1933-05-25
- Died
- 2025-10-05
- Place of birth
- Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Also known as
- 켄 제이콥스
Biography
A pioneer of the American film avant-garde of the 1960s and '70s, Ken Jacobs is a central figure in post-war experimental cinema. From his first films of the late 1950s to his recent experiments with digital video, his investigations and innovations have influenced countless artists.
A New Yorker by birth, Jacobs graduated from City University to find himself in the midst of the downtown art scene of the 1960s, which included artists Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, beat writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac; and the experimental theater troupes of Trisha Brown and Yvonne Rainer. Although Jacobs had studied painting with Hans Hoffman, he quickly gravitated to film, finding kindred spirits in radical filmmakers such as Jonas Mekas and Hollis Frampton. An early friendship with Jack Smith yielded several collaborations, including the seminal underground films Blonde Cobra (which Jonas Mekas dubbed "the masterpiece of Baudelairean cinema") and Little Stabs at Happiness, as well as a Provincetown beach-based live show, The Human Wreckage Review.
Known For
Santos Dumont: Pré-Cineasta?
2010
as Himself
Notes on the Buffalo Conference: “Autobiography in American Independent Cinema”
1973
As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
2000
as Self
Reminiscences of Jonas Mekas
2016
Blonde Cobra
1963
What Is Cinema?
2013
as Self
Movies (37)
Santos Dumont: Pré-Cineasta?
2010
as Himself
Notes on the Buffalo Conference: “Autobiography in American Independent Cinema”
1973
As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
2000
as Self
Reminiscences of Jonas Mekas
2016
Blonde Cobra
1963
What Is Cinema?
2013
as Self
Diaries, Notes, and Sketches
1968
as Self
Lost, Lost, Lost
1976
as Self
Up the Illusion
2023
Fragments of Paradise
2022
as Self
Jonas in the Desert
1994
as Self
365 Day Project
2007
as Self
Birth of a Nation
1997
as Self
Sleepless Nights Stories
2011
as Self
Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film
2011
as Himself
Home Movies 1971-81
1985
Momma's Man
2008
as Dad
Art-House America: Austin Film Society
2023
as Self
Star Spangled to Death
2004
as Oscar Friendly / Ringmaster / Janitor
Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse
2025
as Self
Flo and Ken Jacobs
2001
Cyclopean 3D: Life with a Beautiful Woman
2011
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
2007
as Self
He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life
1986
as Self (archive footage)
Quartet Number One
1991
Scotch Tape
1962
Cinematic Correspondences: Jonas Mekas - J.L. Guerin
2011
as Himself
Bill's Hat
1967
Lavender
2010
as Self
Shorts From the Underground
2002
as Self
The Eternal Courtship
2013
Horizons
1973
Ken Jacobs - from Orchard Street to the Museum of Modern Art
2023
as Self
Nervous Ken
2003
Emma's Dilemma
2012
as Himself
Huge Pupils
1968
as Himself
Please Leave a Message: Anthology Film Archives Voicemails Through the Ages
2022
About Ken Jacobs
A pioneer of the American film avant-garde of the 1960s and '70s, Ken Jacobs is a central figure in post-war experimental cinema. From his first films of the late 1950s to his recent experiments with digital video, his investigations and innovations have influenced countless artists. A New Yorker by birth, Jacobs graduated from City University to find himself in the midst of the downtown art scene of the 1960s, which included artists Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, beat writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac; and the experimental theater… With 37 credits spanning from 1962 to 2025, Ken Jacobs has appeared in 37 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for Ken Jacobs movies, Ken Jacobs filmography, or the latest projects starring Ken Jacobs can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Ken Jacobs Movies
- Santos Dumont: Pré-Cineasta? (2010) — as Himself
- Notes on the Buffalo Conference: “Autobiography in American Independent Cinema” (1973)
- As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) — as Self
- Reminiscences of Jonas Mekas (2016)
- Blonde Cobra (1963)
Where to Watch Ken Jacobs Films
Most Ken Jacobs movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Ken Jacobs, check our movies catalogue and browse page.