In 1913, a secretive American millionaire who had immigrated to South Africa had a crazy idea: to make movies in the gold-mining town of Johannesburg. And not just any movies but the biggest in the world, huge spectacles with elaborate sets, thousands of extras and epic story lines. Isidore Schlesinger - better known as 'IW' - built a studio on a farm called Killarney, where, quite outrageously, he set out to challenge a place in America that was in its infancy: Hollywood.

And he not only matched them but outdid them.

Moreover, he did this while he was also running dozens of other companies, from insurance to real estate to advertising. So after a meteoric rise and incredible acheivements, how come hardly anyone has ever heard of him?

Join Ted Botha for a talk on his new book, “Hollywood on the Veld” at The Cape Town Club on Saturday 25 October.

Tickets are available on Quicket.
FREE – MEMBERS | R100 – NON MEMBERS

18 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town
Download the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) map here.