At the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, people all over the world were stuck by themselves (and with themselves), thinking over hard existential questions. Inside his Johannesburg studio, the South African artist William Kentridge took it a step further—making a film series in which two versions of Kentridge discuss philosophical topics and argue with each other about misremembered childhood occurrences. At times, a third Kentridge drops in to play peacemaker or explain something to the camera. Made over the span of two years and now streaming on Mubi, the nine-episode Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot (2022) combines humour and seriousness through dialogue (and monologue), animation, drawing, music and performance. A Dada-esque love letter to the studio and art-making, the series is delightfully optimistic. It is also exactly what one might expect from Kentridge in lockdown.

South African artist William Kentridge teams up with global film distributor and streaming platform MUBI to release his nine-episode film series Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot. Shot in Kentridge’s Johannesburg studio during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the series draws inspiration from Charlie Chaplin, Dziga Vertov, and the innovative spirit of early cinema. Through a collection of distinct yet interconnected vignettes, it explores themes of humor, philosophy, politics, and artistic freedom—showcasing the resilience of creativity amidst isolation. ‘I wanted to make the films in the same way I would create a drawing,’ Kentridge explains in an interview with designboom, ‘without a script, following the impulse, letting the process unfold naturally.’ Following special previews at the Toronto International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival, and a presentation at the Arsenale Institute for the Politics of Representation during the 2024 Venice Biennale, the series will be available on MUBI starting October 18, 2024.