Series Site
Occasioned by the release of Viva Varda! (2023), directed by Pierre-Henri Gibert, we showcase a selection of Agnès Varda’s films. A towering figure of world cinema, Varda (1928–2019) had a long and wonderfully productive career as a photographer, filmmaker, and visual artist. Her vibrant personality and rebellious spirit are embodied in her work and in her ideas about art and expression. This series provides an opportunity to view many of her major accomplishments. Indeed, the two programs of Varda’s short films are a must-see to gain a full appreciation of her bold and creative approach to filmmaking.
From her first film, the innovative and influential La Pointe Courte (1955), to the witty short films she began to make by 1958, Varda immediately demonstrated her versatility as a filmmaker. She was very much in control of every aspect of her work, from scriptwriting to production and post-production, through marketing and distribution, and, ultimately, preservation of her work and that of her husband, Jacques Demy.
There’s a clarity of vision in films like Cléo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur, and Vagabond, and it is no wonder that these films and Varda’s accomplishments in nonfiction and the essay film stand the test of time. Varda often brought herself into her films as an on-screen subject. She became a master of branding, using herself as a public personality and attaining rockstar status in her later years. Yet when presenting in person, she spoke about how underseen many of her films were, with only a couple films receiving wide theatrical distribution. Varda felt that Documenteur (1981) was a key work in her filmography and that it was especially overlooked. In it she creates one of her most autobiographical and emotional works.
—Susan Oxtoby, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator