Agnès Varda, the iconic film French director who passed away early in 2019, returns to the screen for one last hurrah in this, her final film. Varda by Agnès is a playful but profound explanation of her creative process.

It begins with a formal presentation to a live audience in a cinema. Varda, with beatific smiles, informs the audience that she will explain her filmmaking through three stages: inspiration, creation, and sharing. To accomplish this she lectures, splices in scenes from films, recreates sets in various filming locations, interviews actors from her work, talks to collaborators, and sits in a director’s chair on a beach surrounded by wooden bird cutouts. The film is a tour de force of editing prowess.

Much of her advice is applicable to many fields; use what you have at hand, work quickly and worry about the product later, don’t be restrained by a particular style. Among the films she discusses is Cléo From 5 to 7, which was filmed in Paris because she couldn’t afford to go elsewhere and which took place within a short time frame to limit the sets and locations required. She also talks about Daguerréotypes, the documentary she shot on her own street, which she allowed to develop slowly in real time, regardless of whether anything happened or not. Each film she discusses gets full, serious attention, as she describes exactly what she did and why she did it. Varda also gives attention to her other artistic endeavours, including photography and visual art installations, again explaining what she did in each and why.

The film is sometimes dramatic and at other times humorous, like most of Varda’s work, and it expresses Varda’s deep empathy for people and fascination with the world. There is a real sense of joy here, and it is evident that she is enjoying the production of this film. Varda uses all the cinematic tools at her disposal whenever she thinks they are appropriate—vibrant colours, lightning quick cuts, unconventional shifts in time, repetition of shots. Varda speaks very technically about her interests and ideas, and how she tries to express them in art. She never talks down to the audience, and her explanations will be clear to experts and amateurs alike. This is essential viewing for cinephiles and anyone who cares about artists and rebels.

Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 6:00 PM at The Centre and Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 3:45 PM at Vancouver Playhouse.

Watch the trailer.