Director's Inspiration

A visual celebration of Agnès Varda's three lives as a photographer, filmmaker, and artist is presented in this book, featuring rare archival materials, texts, and personal reflections from Jane Birkin, Martin Scorsese, JR, and others. French filmmaker Agnès Varda paved the way for innovation in art and cinema over the span of nearly seven decades. Despite being closely linked to the French New Wave movement, Varda established her unique visual style in her debut film La Pointe Courte in 1955, predating iconic works like The 400 Blows and Breathless. She continued to make an impact on cinema from her early days to her final masterpieces, including Cleo from 5 to 7, Vagabond, and the Oscar-nominated Faces Places.

Agnès Varda: Director’s Inspiration serves as the first English-language tribute to Varda's sources of inspiration, artistry, and personal experiences, featuring original content from her personal archive on rue Daguerre. The book explores Varda’s "three lives" as a photographer, filmmaker, and visual artist, showcasing an exclusive interview she granted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences prior to receiving her Honorary Oscar in 2017. Essays by Sasha Archibald and Peter Debruge delve into different aspects of Varda’s creative journey, while personal anecdotes from friends and collaborators offer insights into working with and being influenced by Varda.

Agnès Varda (1928–2019) was a multi-talented French filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist, often referred to as the grandmother of the French New Wave. In 2018, her collaboration with the photographer and muralist known as JR on Faces Places earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature, and she was also honored with a lifetime achievement Academy Award in the same year.

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