The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures presents Director's Inspiration: Agnès Varda

Known for her undeniably personal films, this exhibition will explore diverse influences of the filmmaker’s work, bringing forward the sources-experiences, people, and environments-around her which she drew from for inspiration. A photographer prior to becoming a filmmaker, the exhibition’s Photography section will explore Varda’s work behind the still camera including prints, contact sheets, and photography related production materials.

To communicate her transition to becoming a filmmaker, Varda’s director’s chair will be featured here, also emphasizing her full authorship and creative control of her work. The second and largest section, Real People / Real Life, explores the ways in which family, location, and social issues have influenced Varda’s work, which frequently included auto-biographical elements. Personal postcards and props will be used to show Varda’s familial inspiration, and materials such as maps, photographs, and other research materials will demonstrate her intrinsic tie to location, and specifically to Rue Daguerre in Paris where she spent most of her life. 

Additionally, materials such as signed release forms from the Black Panthers and original scripts will be featured in a sub-section that focuses on social issues including protests against the Vietnam War, supporting the Civil Rights Movement, and Varda’s participation in the women’s movement in France. The final section, Art, will be used to explore Varda’s longstanding love of art history and her career as a fine artist later in life displaying a model for one of her cinema shack installations, among other works. At the heart of the gallery, a media installation inspired by Varda’s fondness of triptychs will be used to explore several themes that appear throughout the filmmaker’s work and the exhibition such as still imagery, family, and Varda’s beloved beaches.