Agnes Varda: a legend of European film turns 90

At the age 90, French New Wave film pioneer Agnes Varda is releasing her latest documentary (in Germany on May 31), Faces Places, which portrays characters in French towns with humor and intelligence. On a trip to Provence, Varda travels with street artist JR, who creates photographs of the marginalized subjects they meet on the way. It won the L'Œil d'or award at the Cannes Film Festival, 2017.

At the recent Cannes Film Festival, 82 women drew attention to the fact that they are still underrepresented in the film industry. As the event's oldest participant, Agnes Varda joined the women on the red carpet. Renowned for her sense of humor, Varda has remained a filmmaking pioneer whose influence on the Nouvelle Vague predates the likes of Jean-Luc Godard.

Agnès Varda has been honored with numerous prizes, including an Academy Honorary Award in 2017. She has, however, long been overshadowed by her famous "Nouvelle Vague" colleagues François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol and Jean-Luc Godard — even though her 1955 film La Pointe Courte, set in a small French fishing village, pioneered the highly influential French New Wave film movement.

In 1955, 27-year-old Agnes Varda received much praise at Cannes for La Pointe Courte. Her debut film that was half movie and half documentary, featured a young couple in crisis at the French Mediterranean coast. The work also depicts the harsh life of French families who are struggling to survive from fishing. Despite receiving critical acclaim at Cannes, La Pointe Courte was a box office flop.

Following her debut film's lack of financial success, Varda collaborated with other filmmakers for a few years until reigniting her directing career with Cléo from 5 to 7 (1961). Her second film is a meditation on fear and death, the story of a young egotistical pop singer who seeks emotional support in Paris while awaiting cancer test results. It was nominated for a Palme d'Or in 1962.

Two legends of French film, Michel Piccoli and Catherine Deneuve, starred in Varda's 1966 film "The Creatures." The two spend their vacation on a small island. He's a science fiction author, whereas she has been left dumb after an accident. The film contains surrealistic elements while changing between color and black-and-white.

In the second half of the 1960s, Varda shot several documentaries on socially critical topics in the US. After returning to France, she directed One sings, the Other Doesn't (1977), a feminist film that told the story of a strong 15-year friendship between two different but independent women who become advocates for reproductive rights.

A turning point in Agnès Varda's career was the 1985 film "Vagabond" that earned her a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It tells the story of an aloof young Parisian woman, Mona (Sandrine Bonnaire), who breaks free of her office-job existence and drifts as a vagabond through the French wine country in what becomes a failing struggle for survival.

Following "Vagabond," the director devoted two films to singer and actress Jane Birkin. After shooting a docudrama of Birkin (Jane B. par Agnès V.), she shot Kung Fu Master in 1987, featuring a love affair between a 40-year old woman and a 14-year old boy. Starring opposite Jane Birkin were Varda's son Mathieu Demy and Birkin's daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.

1990 was a sad year for Varda following the death of her long-time husband and fellow French New Wave director Jacques Demy, who suffered from AIDS. Varda channeled her mourning for him resulted in the film "Jacquot de Nantes" in 1991. Based on Demy's notebooks, it depicts the youth and artistic career of the director who was best-known for his musicals like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).

In 1995, the film world celebrated the 100th anniversary of the medium. Agnès Varda made her own contribution to the event with "One Hundred and One Nights." The highly imaginative film brought together many stars like Michel Piccoli and Jean-Paul Belmondo to produce an artistic kaleidoscope of film history.

Around the turn of the century, Agnès Varda directed yet another documentary, this time featuring people in rural France. A lawyer dressed in a dark robe leads the viewer through the film, while the title "The Gleaners and I" refers to people collecting edible remains from freshly harvested fields.

Ten years ago, the director took a remarkable look at her own life with "The Beaches of Agnès." However, Varda didn't resort to old materials or clippings. Viewers rather see her at her favorite locations, including the beaches of France. The film was a reflection on her life and her passions, as well as on art and film.

Agnes Varda has received numerous awards, including a special award at the Berlinale, a Golden Lion at the 1985 Venice Film Festival, and an honorary Leopard at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. In 2017, she received an honorary Oscar. An still hasn't become tired of filmmaking. "Faces Places" will run in German theaters from May 31.