Agnes Varda

 

During our trip, I learned that Agnes Varda was a very unique filmmaker and had played a big role in the French New Wave movement. She challenged a lot of traditional filmmaking conventions and explored a lot of social issues through her work. She also was a photographer before she was a filmmaker which I think gave her an interesting perspective behind the lens and allowed her to get lots of shots that you don’t see in most movies. I find her very inspiring because she was a woman in a mainly male-dominated field and still was respected and did things her own way. 

Agnes Varda's contribution to cinema is important because she pioneered the way for the future generation of female filmmakers, she is an inspiration to think outside the box and to not be afraid to use your own personal expression in your work. She changed the conventional storytelling setup and representation and made cinema more inclusive. She uses a feminist perspective in her work and it is definitely different from what people were used to at the time so that was a big change to her field of work. One thing I thought was interesting to learn was that only three women have ever won an Academy Award for Best Director, so although Agnes Varda has definitely opened up filmmaking to more women, they still aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. 

For commemoration, I think that she is commemorated enough. Her grave is proof that people have not forgotten about her. It is covered in lipstick kiss marks, heart-shaped potatoes, and lots of flowers and other sweet gifts. The fact that people still are showing up to pay their respects shows that she made an impact on a lot of people. Also, there is a mural done of her and a few of her characters. I thought it was really cool and really well done. It was a good way to remember her and to bring some of her works of art to the streets of Paris where people can see them on a daily basis.