French filmmaking pioneer Agnès Varda passed away last Friday at the age of 90.

Her debut feature, 1955’s La Pointe Courte, was a groundbreaking, ahead-of-its-time documentary and fiction hybrid. And with her 1962 French New Wave classic Cléo from 5 to 7, she established herself as a major voice in world cinema. Her distinguished and varied career included photography, nonfiction and fiction films, and multimedia installations at museums and galleries around the world.

We were proud to welcome Varda here at the Film Society many times throughout her career. Back in 2017, she joined us for a special event during Rendez-Vous with French Cinema to reflect on her voluminous body of work, influences, and approach to filmmaking. The evening was moderated by critic Melissa Anderson. 

*This talk was previously published in episode #127 of The Close-Up.

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