Ken Jacobs
Jacobs in 2021
Born	(1933-05-25)May 25, 1933 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 5, 2025(2025-10-05) (aged 92) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Filmmaker
Notable work	Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son
Spouse	Florence Karpf ​ (died 2025)​ [1]
Children	2, includingAzazel Jacobs

Kenneth Martin Jacobs (May 25, 1933 – October 5, 2025) was an Americanexperimental filmmaker.^[2][3] His style often involved the use of found footage which he edited and manipulated. He also directed films using his own footage.

Ken Jacobs was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1933.^[1][4][5] He directedBlonde Cobra in 1963. This short film starsJack Smith who directed his ownFlaming Creatures the same year. In 1969 he directedTom, Tom, the Piper's Son (1969, USA), in which he took the original 1905 short film and manipulated the footage to recontextualize it. This is considered an important first example of deconstruction in film. The film was admitted to theNational Film Registry in 2007. HisStar Spangled to Death (2004, USA) is a nearly seven-hour film consisting largely offound footage.^[6] Jacobs began compiling the archival footage in 1957 and the film took 47 years to complete.^[7]

Jacobs taught at the Cinema Department at Harpur College atBinghamton University from 1969 to 2002.^[8] His sonAzazel Jacobs is also a filmmaker.^[9]

In the 1990s, Jacobs began working withJohn Zorn and experimented with a stroboscopic effect, digital video, and 3D effects. Jacobs died from kidney failure in Manhattan, New York, on October 5, 2025, at the age of 92.^[10] His wife and frequent collaborator, Flo, died in June of the same year.^[10]

• Little Stabs at Happiness (1960), 14:57 min, color, sound, 16 mm film on video.^[11]
• Blonde Cobra (1963), 33 min, color and b&w, sound, 16 mm film on video.^[11]
• Window (1964)^[12]
• Lisa and Joey in Connecticut (1965), 21:59 min, color, silent, Super 8mm film on video.^[11]
• Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son (1969), 133 min, color and b&w.^[11]
• Perfect Film (1986)
• Opening the Nineteenth Century: 1896 (1991)
• The Georgetown Loop (1996), 11 min, b&w, silent.^[11]
• Circling Zero: We See Absence (2002), 114:38 min, color, sound.^[13][14]
• Star Spangled to Death (2004), 440 min, b&w and color, sound, DVD. Clip collection began in 1956.^[11]
• Nymph (2007), 2 min, color, silent.^[11]
• Gift of Fire: Nineteen (Obscure) Frames that Changed the World (2007), 27:30 min, anaglyph 3-D color, surround sound.^[11]
• The Scenic Route (2008), 25 min, color and b&w, sound.^[11]
• 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero, first segment.^[15]
• Seeking the Monkey King (2011), 39:42 min, color, 5.1 surround sound, HD video.^[11]
• Joys of Waiting for the Broadway Bus (2013), 4–part series, enhanced3D film digital slides.^[16]
• A Primer in Sky Socialism (2013), color 3D film.^[17][18]

He was a recipient of the 1994American Film Institute'sMaya Deren Award.^[9] In 2012 he received aCreative Capital Moving Image grant award.^[19] In 2014 he was named aUnited States Artists (USA) Fellow.^[20]

• Ken Jacobs' official website
• EAI: Ken Jacobs Biography
• Ken Jacobs atIMDb
• Ken Jacobs discography atDiscogs
• Cinema and Critical Reflection A Conversation with Ken Jacobs and FamilyArchived 2009-07-18 at theWayback Machine
• Eyeballs with Muscles – by Ken Jacobs (published in The Act)

• 1933 births
• 2025 deaths
• American experimental filmmakers
• Film directors from New York (state)
• Collage filmmakers
• Binghamton University faculty
• Deaths from kidney failure in New York (state)

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
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