Masters of Cinema: Agnès Varda

What is the course about?

A filmmaker who began her career in the mid-1950s, Agnès Varda was affectionately known as the ‘grandmother’ of the French New Wave, despite her more obvious affiliation with the so-called ‘left-bank’ directors such as Jacques Demy (her husband) and Alain Resnais. This six-week course will introduce you to Varda’s body of work, from her influential first feature length film, La pointe courte (1955), through perhaps her most famous film, Cléo de 5 à 7/Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) and her eighties triumph Sans toit ni loi/Vagabond (1985) to her final work, Varda par Agne`s/Varda by Agnès (2019), exploring her significant influence, but also her avowed position as a ‘feminist’ filmmaker; the course will also situate her output within France’s broader social and cultural context. The course will also consider the importance of the digital for her later career, proposing that one might consider her a broader multi-media artist rather than simply a film director.

What will we cover?

The course will cover the biography, career and film output of Agnès Varda. It will also introduce participants to the French New Wave and discuss Varda’s relationship with it. There will be some exploration of French society and culture as the context for both the French New Wave and Varda’s emergence as a filmmaker. As her career spans almost seventy years there will be some consideration of the changes experienced by France between the 1950s and the late 2010s. The course will also explore Varda’s far-reaching influence as a filmmaker and the extent to which Varda might be considered both a feminist and an artist, especially given her engagement with digital technology in her later filmmaking practice.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Have an understanding of the importance of Agnès Varda as an internationally significant female filmmaker
• Have a sense of her filmmaking output and the various forms that this took, from dramas to documentaries
• Have reached a critical appreciation of Varda’s work and her relationship to French culture and society.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is for all levels. Varda’s work is wide ranging and accessible and is suitable for those who enjoy films that provoke thought and discussion. Please note that many of the film clips viewed and discussed will be subtitled as they will all be in French.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The course will be delivered as an informal lecture/talk but there will plenty of scope for discussion and questions throughout. The course will be supported by screening extracts from a range of Varda’s films.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Look for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.