Susan Kemp
BA (Hons) (Napier) M Litt (Glasgow)
Susan Kemp joined Edinburgh University in 2010 to work as co-director of the new MSc in Film In The Public Space alongside her job-share partner Jane Sillars. Before that she was a producer/director working for the BBC, making a wide range of documentary series and factual programmes. Susan has worked as a film programmer, in particular she worked in a variety of roles for the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Professional Biography
Susan Kemp has been immersed in the subject of film throughout her career. She has made films, programmed films, reviewed films and documented the making of films. She has also studied film and visited film festivals around the world.
Susan began her career making short films and working on low budget features. She spent her summers working at the Edinburgh International Film Festival eventually staying on to become the researcher and film programmer where she worked closely with director Mark Cousins and then Lizzie Francke. She was then invited to programme the short film selection for Film Four in its inaugural year and after that was offered a research position on the BBC One series Film 99 with Jonathan Ross, where she was soon promoted to producer.
Susan left the film series to make programmes about film for the newly created BBC Four, including a 30 minute programme on Cannes and a 60 minute documentary on Iranian film maker Samira Makhmalbaf. BBC Four was looking to have a weekly series about world cinema and asked Susan to produce the pilot and then the series.
Latterly she began directing and producing documentaries on a wide range of subjects including an observational documentary series about surgery, a six-part history of Scottish journalism, and a number of one-off single subject docs.
In 2007 Susan studied for an M Litt in creative writing at Glasgow University. She took voluntary redundancy from the BBC in 2008 and completed her masters in September. She was awarded a distinction and was also short-listed for the Sceptre Prize in March, 2009.
Recent Projects
words 2008, The Michell Library, Sept 2008:
Co-producer and curator of an exhibition about creative writing. The five day exhibition included a short film, daily readings, a fully booked panel discussion, writers -in-residence, an art installation by Nicola Atkinson, a sound installation, twice daily writing workshops which included 100 individuals over the course of the week, and a launch event for the publication to of ‘Let’s Pretend, 37 stories about (in)fidelity.’
Let’s Pretend, 37 stories about (in)fidelity, Nov 2007 - Sept 2008:
Co-editor of an anthology of new writing from students of Glasgow University’s Edwin Morgan Centre for Creative Writing. Working with Fiona Rintoul we took this project from its inception to publication.
Selected Filmography
- Producer/Director: Reported Scotland: 1 x 60’ documentary on the history of TV News. (TX BBC One Scotland Sept 30 2007)
- Series Producer/ Director: Deadline: The Story of The Scottish Press: 6 x 30’ documentary series (TX BBC One Scotland Sept 2007)
- Series Producer/Director: ERI: Edinburgh Royal Infirmary: 6 x 30’ observational documentary series featuring orthopaedic, cardiothoracic and transplant surgery. (TX BBC One Scotland Mar 2006).
- Director: A Dog’s Chance: 1 x 30’ documentary about dog owners competing at Crufts (TX BBC Scotland April 2005)
- Producer/Director: Hollywood Greats: Anthony Hopkins: 1 x 40’ documentary on Anthony Hopkins presented by Jonathan Ross. (TX. BBC Two June 13 2004)
- Producer/Director The Way Went Wild: 1 x 60’ documentary on Bill Oddie & Johnny Morris. (TX. BBC Two June 13 2004)
- Director: ArtWorks: Whistler’s Maw: 1 x 30’ documentary about Whistler’s portrait of his Mother. (TX. BBC Two Scotland, Aug 10 2003)
- Producer/Director: The Makhmalbaf Film House: 1 x 60’ documentary about 17 year old, award-winning Iranian film director, Samira Makhmalbaf, and her family. (TX BBC Four Aug 2002)
- Series Producer/ Director: The DVD Collection: 26 x 30’ weekly film review programme for BBC Four including half hour documentary special about Polish film maker Krystof Kieslowski.
- Director: Star Trek: Make It So: 1 x 25’ documentary for Star Trek Night (TX BBC2 Sept 2001)
- Producer/Director: Cannes 2001 : 1 x 30’ (TX BBC Four, May 20, 2001)
- Producer: Film 2000 with Jonathan Ross: Film review series for BBC One. (TX 2000)
- Researcher: Film ‘99 with Jonathan Ross: Film review series for BBC One. (TX 1998)
- Researcher: Last Of The Good Guys: A tribute to James Stewart 1x 40’ documentary (TX Network BBC2: December 23 1997; January 2 1998)
- Researcher: How To Make A Movie: 3 x 30’ documentary series (TX Network BBC2: September 1998)
Short Films
- Producer. Pan-Fried 16mm B&W 7 minute Drama, Dir: Justin Molotnikov. Funded by British Screen, Scottish Television, National Lottery. Awards: Scottish New Talent BAFTA for Best Performance (James Young) (1998)
- Director: Lemn Sissay ‘Gold From The Stone’. A short, synch super-8, colour film exploring poetry and performance. Screened at Edinburgh International Film Festival, The British Short Film Festival and Bradford Film Festival (1996)
- Writer/ Director. Hill Of Beans. A short drama financed in part by Scottish Screen’s First Reels scheme. Screened at Edinburgh International Film Festival and on Scottish Television.
This article was published on Mar 17, 2010