Agnès Varda

Agnès Varda, born Arlette Varda, was a notable Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, and photographer. Varda's innovative work saw her maximizing the use of location shooting, something uncommon during the 1950s - due to the existing sound technology limitations, it became widespread to film indoors. Her unique style was applied in her debut feature film, 'La Pointe Courte' (1955), and her celebrated narrative films such as 'Cléo from 5 to 7' (1962) and 'Vagabond' (1985). Other standout creations include her documentary works like 'Black Panthers' (1968), 'The Gleaners and I' (2000), and her final film 'Varda by Agnès' (2019). Described as one of the 'Gods of Cinema' by Director Martin Scorsese, Varda received several accolades including being the first woman to receive an Honorary Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and a nomination for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Varda was born on 30 May 1928 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, to Christiane (née Pasquet) and Eugène Jean Varda, an engineer. Legally changing her name to Agnès at age 18, she pursued art history and photography in Paris before working as a photographer at the Théâtre National Populaire in Paris. Varda passed away from cancer on 29 March 2019 in Paris.