Jack Sargeant (writer)

Jack Sargeant (born 1968) is a British writer specializing in cult film, underground film, and independent film, as well as subcultures, true crime, and other aspects of the unusual. In addition he is a film programmer, curator, academic and photographer. He has appeared in underground films and performances. He currently lives in Australia.
Since 1995 Sargeant has written and contributed to numerous books on underground film, including: "Deathtripping: The Cinema of Transgression", about Cinema of Transgression filmmakers such as Richard Kern and Nick Zedd, "Naked Lens: Beat Cinema", and "Cinema Contra Cinema", a collection of essays on alternative film. He is the editor of the journal "Suture", and has co-edited two volumes "Lost Highways: An Illustrated History of the Road Movie" (with Stephanie Watson) and "No Focus: Punk on Film" (with Chris Barber). In 2007 "Deathtripping" was republished by Soft Skull Press, this was followed by a re-printing of "Naked Lens: Beat Cinema" in 2008. In 2014 a collection of essays on the world of William Burroughs and associated artists such as Brion Gysin was published as "Against Control" by Swedish publisher Eight Millimetre. In 2016 Amok Books published Flesh and Excess: On Underground Film.
He has contributed to numerous books on subjects ranging from Andy Warhol movies to road rage and car crash songs and his work has been included in collections such as Mikita Brottman's "Car Crash Culture", Mendick & Harper's "Underground USA", Wollen & Kerr's "Autopia", among others.
He has also authored and edited true crime books including "Born Bad, Death Cults", "Bad Cop Bad Cop", and "Guns, Death Terror"'. These books have featured contributions from Monte Cazazza, Michael Spann, Andrew Leavold, John Harrison, Simon Whitechapel, Chris Barber, and others.
Sargeant has written introductions for Joe Coleman's "Book of Joe" and photographer Romain Slocombe's "Tokyo Sex Underground".
He has contributed to publications such as Headpress as well as Panik, Electric Sheep, The Wire, Fortean Times and Bizarre magazine, as well as academic journals such as "Senses of Cinema" and "M/C". Since 2008 he has written film reviews and a regular column for the Australian film magazine FilmInk focusing on unusual areas of film culture. He has also appeared as an occasional guest on ABC Radio National's MovieTime.
Between 2001–2003 he was film editor at large for Sleazenation. He has written cover notes for DVDs by various underground and independent filmmakers, including the British Film Institute's DVD release of Kirby Dick's film "Sick: The Life And Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist" and their "Jeff Keen" DVD box set. In addition he has contributed liner notes to the Throbbing Gristle "TGV" DVD box set.
As a public speaker Jack Sargeant has given numerous talks on a variety of subjects including the work of JG Ballard, William Burroughs, and many other subjects often related to subjects he has written about.
Sargeant has appeared in numerous film and TV documentaries on culture and film, as well as having cameos in underground films. He has also appeared on a recording by the experimental group I/O.
He has promoted and organised shows for filmmakers and artists at the Horse Hospital in London and Cinematheque in Brighton, UK, and has also toured film festivals in America, Europe, and Australia, including the New York Underground Film Festival, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, Melbourne Underground Film Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival, and Sydney Underground Film Festival. In 2002 and 2003 he collaborated with Simon Kane on The Salon, an annual event that has featured performances by David Tibet, Cosey Fanni Tutti, and Cotton Ferox.
Since 2008 he has been Program Director for the Revelation Perth International Film Festival, and in 2010 he curated the film program for Sydney Biennale.
Sargeant has been a frequent collaborator of art and theory group monochrom and founder Johannes Grenzfurthner. He got invited to Vienna as Q21/MQ artist in residence by monochrom in winter 2018.