Poster of the film Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot

Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot

Documentary English


Prolific South African artist and filmmaker William Kentridge chronicles how he creates intricate, wall-sized charcoal drawings of the vistas from his childhood in Johannesburg and life-sized paintings of himself — all while ruminating on the puzzle of self-knowledge.

Director:William Kentridge

Guild Reviews

Image of scene from the film Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot

Chaos and creation in the studio

FCG Member Reviewer Uday Bhatia
Uday Bhatia | Mint Lounge
Sun, November 17 2024

This series of video essays is a brilliant dissection of William Kentridge’s artistic practice and a lively covid diary

A portly white-haired man walks into the frame and, even before he’s sat, addresses the camera with some urgency. “Before he arrives, there are some things I just want to say. It’s about the nature of the structure of, and the destructure, and the non-structure of what we see." He lists the disparate thoughts running through his head: a green cake he once ate in Naples, the fish pie he must take out of the freezer, a line from Mayakovsky, digging in The Great Escape and as a young boy on the beach, a row of coffins for mass burial, the impending birth of his granddaughter

Continue reading …

Latest Reviews

Image of scene from the film Second Chance
Second Chance

Drama (Hindi)

After experiencing the first major trauma of her young life, Nia retreats to her family summer… (more)

FCG Rating for the film
Image of scene from the film From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Action, Thriller, Crime (English)

An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge… (more)

FCG Rating for the film
Image of scene from the film Stolen
Stolen

Drama, Thriller (Hindi)

The five-month-old baby of impoverished tribal woman Jhumpa Mahato is stolen. Two brothers, Gautam and Raman,… (more)

FCG Rating for the film
Image of scene from the film Predator: Killer of Killers
Predator: Killer of Killers

Animation, Action, Science Fiction (English)

While three of the fiercest warriors in human history—a Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan,… (more)