Three words are important to me: inspiration, creation, and sharing… I don’t care if my films make money. I care that my films are seen and are loved. — Agnès Varda

“My mother was very funny—left wing but not politically correct. We traveled a lot together. She was so curious and she loved gossip. Qui baise qui?…

“Agnès was 89 when we started VARDA BY AGNÈS. She had lung cancer and we could only work three hours a day. This film was so difficult, going from the editing room to the hospital to the editing room…

“My mother would say, Don’t complain too much. Do it. We work hard, but it should look easy. We should not show the ‘work.’ — Rosalie Varda, Agnès’ daughter and a co-producer of VARDA BY AGNÈS, in conversation with Ava DuVernay*

Agnès Varda didn’t like or use the word “master” to refer to herself or her work—what she called her cinéma écriture—but VARDA BY AGNÈS, her final film, is undeniably a master class in cinema, and a “characteristically playful, profound, and personal summation of the director’s own brilliant career.”

Now playing at the Aero Theatre, these American Cinematheque screenings of VARDA BY AGNÈS will be introduced by a variety of guests, including Illeana Douglas, Julie Delpy, Chloe King, Lisa Blok-Linson, Lynne Littman, Jim McBride, and Peter Debruge. See link below for details.

Later this month, VARDA BY AGNÈS opens at the Laemmle Glendaleand Playhouse.

VARDA BY AGNÈS

Through December 11.

Aero Theatre

1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica.

From December 20:

Glendale

207 North Maryland Avenue, Glendale.

Saturday and Sunday, December 21 and 22, 10:10 am.

Playhouse

673 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena.

*Rosalie Varda and Ava DuVernay in conversation, Array 360° Film Series, November 2, 2019, Array Campus, Los Angeles.

From top: Agnès Varda on the set of Uncle Yanco (1967); Varda, behind camera, shooting her first feature La Pointe court (1955); Silvia Monfort and Philippe Noiret in La Pointe court; Alain Resnais and Varda editing the film; Corinne Marchand, Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962); Le Bonheur (1965); Varda, Visages Villages (2017), co-directed by Varda and JR; Varda and Jean “Yanco” Varda, Uncle Yanco; Kathleen Cleaver in Black Panthers (1968); James Rado (left), Viva, and Gerome Ragni in Lions Love (…and Lies) (1969); Varda by Agnès (2019) (2); Jeanne Moreau (left), Hanna Schygulla, and Michel Piccoli (as Simon Cinéma) in One Hundred and One Nights (1995); 72nd Festival de Cannes tribute poster, 2019; Varda by Agnès. Images courtesy and © Ciné Tamaris, MK2, Criterion, and Janus Films.