Dr Helen Bendon

Biography

Helen is Interim Head of the Film School and Associate Professor in Film and Media. Helen teaches on the BA Film programme. She is also Academic Lead on the Changing the Culture, an institutional wide initiative shifting attitudes, values and behaviours and creating more inclusive and tolerant communities. She coordinated the ACI involvement in "No Home for Hate", funded by the HEFCE Catalyst Fund, in 2017/18. Building on this work, Helen brings these agendas into the curricula to increase student engagement and awareness around EDI in ways that are meaningful and transformative. Partnership projects with the VCPB, Safe4Faith with the Metropolitan Police, ThriveLdn for World Mental Health Day, and Barnet Menace have resulted in KE projects for and with our students. 

Helen is an artist/filmmaker working predominantly in film, her practice is anchored around intimate narratives: often understated or tacitly conveyed, often working with marginalised or minoritised voices.

Teaching

Helen teaches on the BA Film programme and specialises in Art Direction for Film.

Her key teaching and learning interests are:

Art Direction and Film Language

Blended theory and practice teaching and learning in film

Articulating film and media practice as research

Locative storytelling

Collaboration with external partners and students on Knowledge Exchange projects.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity embedded into the student experience.

Civic engagement and creativity

Helen is currently supervising PhD by Public works:

• 'Strong Women Don't Have the Blues'- Autobiographical Documentary and the Strong Black Woman Trope.
• Documentary Filmmaking as an Ethical Practice: Looking for Life Stories.
• Beyond the Single Screen: a study of multi-image filmmaking.