Agnès Varda: Dieu du Cinéma
Festival
Photo of Varda looking through a lens
Though affectionately referred to as the Mother of the New Wave, Varda was trained in art history and photography rather than film criticism. Shot almost exclusively on location and weaving between documentary, narrative, and musical, her films were all her own. Martin Scorsese once referred to her as one of the Gods of Cinema… Amen.
CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7 | May 1- 3 | In-person
Cléo (Marchand) is a semi-famous pop star convinced that she has terminal cancer. But she won’t know for two more hours. Playing out in real time, Varda’s breakout film dives into the fragility of the human psyche.
LE BONHEUR | May 8–10 | In-person
François (Drouot) is happily married and yet begins an affair with a postal worker who looks strikingly similar to his wife. Le Bonheur is arguably Varda’s most radical film, like a horror movie clothed in bright colors.
ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN’T | May 15–17 | In-person
This feminist musical follows two women (Liotard, Mairesse) over the course of 14 years as their lives intersect with the Women’s Movement in France. Largely ignored upon release, One Sings has rightfully been reevaluated as one of Varda’s best.
VAGABOND | May 22-24 | In-person
Mona (Bonnaire) wanders the French countryside in the winter, hiding from the police and subsisting on help from others. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and nominated for numerous Best Foreign Film Awards, Vagabond is an essential watch.
MUR MURS | May 29–31 | In-person
A preoccupation with California led Varda to make a collection of documentary films. This one, about the murals that adorn Los Angeles’s buildings, showcases her ability to draw out social commentary from works of art.
DOCUMENTEUR | May 29–31 | In-person
A sort of partner-picture with Mur murs that uses interconnected ideas and images, Documenteur stars Varda’s son (Demy) in the role of Martin Cooper, as he and his mother Emilie (Mamou) strive to live a quiet life on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
