Remembering a story his father told him when he was a child, of Perseus killing his grandfather by accident, William Kentridge reflects on the inescapability of one’s destiny. He explores the story of the Cumana Sibyl, who revealed people’s fate inscribed on leaves that fell from a tree.
William Kentridge recreates rehearsals for previous performance pieces. He reads a phonetic poem with performers Hamilton Dlamini, Mncedisi Shabangu, Nhlanhla Mahlangu and Mica Manganye. In contrast, they read John Chilembwe’s 1915 letter to the Nyasaland Times, arguing for equal standing in Malawi.
As William Kentridge explores metamorphosis, sounds are visualized through painting, a shadow turns into a sculpture, time morphs into a film strip, and an abstract blotch becomes an image. Meanwhile, the performers Joanna Dudley and Ann Masina act out a myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Parental aging and an existential wave collide in the suburbs of LA. Dislocated B-roll, meandering voicemails, and readings from the 1984 children’s sci-fi movie The Neverending Story combine to situate collective grief in the mundanities of everyday life.
Visual artist Alicia Nauta embarks on a new project, in which she is both the creator and the canvas. In her apartment-studio, the artist silently works away at her latest showstopping creation, from conceptualisation to public display.
Artist Becca Willow engages in a series of phone calls to two very different sets of clients. There are the lonely men who crave female companionship, and there are the elderly who require kindness and sometimes a nostalgic old song.
In December 1969, legendary pianist and composer Thelonious Monk ended his European tour in Paris. Before the show, Monk appeared on French TV to perform and speak with French jazz pianist Henri Renaud. Newly discovered footage reveals the disconnect between Monk and his interviewer.
Like the black sun of an eclipse, Antonia is a lyrical singer of exuberant and dark beauty. Recovering from a suicide attempt in a rehabilitation institution, all her family ties are irreparably broken. But her sister remains deeply affected by what happened. May they reunite once again?
Stroboscopic glimpses of Victorian domestic surfaces and geometric shadows transform the physical world into an impressionistic fantasia. Elsewhere, a specter emerges from the depths of German expressionist cinema.
Celebrated restaurant critic Jonathan Gold has a deep and complex relationship with the food and culture of his city, Los Angeles. He tours his city looking for new food experiences, uncovering hidden culinary treasures, and casting light upon the city’s thriving migrant culture.
1990. A young Kahnawake Mohawk woman named Kahentiiosta is arrested after the Oka Crisis’ 78-day armed standoff. She is detained four days longer than the other women. Her crime? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government did not accept her Indigenous name.
In 1973, a group of Montreal citizens organized a festival to raise funds in support of the Cree Indigenous people, who were losing their land because of a local hydroelectric project. Spectacular performances alternate with community meetings where locals talk of their past to defend their future.
At a residential school in James Bay, northern Ontario, Cree children share stories of their families and community at Christmas time. Incidents both big and small are illustrated and described through the children’s words and in their crayon drawings.
Buried deep in the basement of the British Museum, hidden in plastic bags and wooden boxes, lies a wealth of ancient and rare African artifacts. Over one day, the valuable objects are unveiled for the first time, revealing the vast expanse of African art stolen by colonial forces.
In the summer of 1990, an armed standoff over a planned golf course on Kanien’kéhaka land unfolded. Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin embedded herself on the front lines of this conflict for 78 days to film the discord between the protesters, police, and military.
The singular career of elusive African-American art star David Hammons is chronicled from Watts rebellion-era 1960s L.A. to his global prominence today. Artists, curators, and critics uncover Hammons’ category-defying practice, rooted in a deep critique of American society and the elite art world.
Geoff McFetridge’s art is everywhere—on your Apple watch, in countless galleries, and in title designs for films by Sofia Coppola. Unprecedented access into Geoff’s multifaceted world reveals his obsessive quest to balance family with a creative life, and a man guided by intention and authenticity.
Kim’s Video, an iconic video store in New York City, mysteriously closed its doors and sent its legendary film archive to a Sicilian village for “safekeeping.” But what starts as an homage to cinema quickly becomes a rescue mission to ensure the eternal preservation of the beloved video collection.