Hollywood on the Veld

Presented by Jonathan Ball

In Hollywood on the Veld, Ted Botha tells the fascinating story of mysterious American millionaire, Isidore Schlesinger, who in 1913 tried to establish a movie mecca in Johannesburg. He didn’t just want to make ordinary films here. He wanted to make the biggest films in the world, with epic storylines, elaborate sets and thousands of extras. Award-winning filmmaker and academic Ilse Salzwedel interviews Ted about this outrageous story, their shared love of cinema, and what remains today of Schlesinger’s dream of a Hollywood in Johannesburg.