Viva Varda!

When the “Grandmother of the New Wave” died in March 2019, numerous elaborate obituaries instantly flooded the web, yet the world didn't seem ready to bid farewell to one of its true icons (and iconoclasts). This loving portrait of the pioneering post-war female film director, honored by Hollywood in her lifetime, demonstrates in a visceral, straightforward way the reasons Agnes Varda has become a source of inspiration for a whole new generation of young filmmakers, as she reinvented what film could look like and what stories they could tell. While she often portrayed and featured herself through her own lens, for the first time ever, this documentary provides a counter-shot through never-before-seen archive footage and illuminating interviews with her family, friends and collaborators. Viva Varda!, made by a documentarian specializing in cinema history, reveals a brand new perspective on the influential filmmaker’s life and work, tackling yet again the true meaning of the female gaze.

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Direction: Pierre-Henri Gibert

Script: Pierre-Henri Gibert

Cinematography: Nicolas Duchêne, Denis Gaubert, Brian Allan Stewart, Tristan Chenais

Editing: Laure-Alice Hervé, Pierre-Henri Gibert

Sound: Nicolas Bourdon, Damien Perrollaz

Music: Arnaud Guillemant

Actors: Agnès Varda

Production: ARTE France, Cinétévé, Ciné Tamaris

Producers: Fabienne Servan Schreiber, Laurence Miller, Rosalie Varda

Narration: Louis Garrel

Format: DCP

Color: Color, B&W

Production Country: France

Production Year: 2023

Duration: 68'

Contact: mk2 Films

Pierre-Henri Gibert

Filmography

2015 Guillaume D
2017 Le scandale Clouzot
2020 Volker Schlondorff, the Beat of the Drum
2021 Jacques Audiard: Cinema at Heart
2023 Viva Varda!