Joyous Curiosity: The Cinema of Agnès Varda

The remarkable and endlessly intriguing cinema of French New Wave filmmaker Agnès Varda is set to take over the screens at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) from Thursday 19 June to Sunday 13 July. The season will encompass half a century of the directors work, showcasing newly restored and rarely seen documentaries, fiction, shorts, and television.

'For over half a century Varda has been a force in the art cinema landscape, casting her eyes upon the world with joyous curiosity and creating films which reflect her unique perspective on life," says ACMI Film Programmer, Kristy Matheson.

As the French New Wave movement's only female presence she is often described as the 'Godmother of New Wave." Made in 1954, her debut feature La Pointe Courte, cited as the first film of the movement, preceded the likes of Jean-Luc Goddard and François Truffaut.

Passionate about literature, philosophy and fine art her films are insightful and penetrating, often portraying thoughtful takes on social and political issues such as feminism. Early in her career, she started describing her work as cinécriture (ciné-writing), which meant that each element of her films is chosen with an intended effect, message or meaning.