Live cinema & life in South Africa

In interview, the South African artist William Kentridge (b.1955) discusses the political and theatrical aspects of his work. He describes depictions of the city of Johannesburg in his drawings and films, his politically motivated involvement in South African theatre, and his study of mime in France, linking this with the visual arts. He considers his collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company, examines the role of music in his films and describes his film Zeno at 4 a.m. (2001; illus.), based on Italo Svevo's book Confessions of Zeno (1923).