Light Show #1: The Beaches of Agnés

It's both head-spinning and brilliant that the French icon Agnés Varda picked up an honorary Oscar in 2017, in recognition of her life’s work. This feels fitting, as she is a director whose films refuse to fit into the comfortable categories set out by the Academy.

This ambling auto-portrait from 2008 is the perfect gateway drug into the wonderful world of Varda, touching on her hopes and anxieties, her past and her future, her loves and her losses, and it even includes a short sequence documenting her attempt to sail, single-handed, up the Seine in a fishing boat at the age of 80. Truly an inspiration for us all. 

The Beaches of Agnés, dir. Agnés Varda, France 2008, 35mm, 110 mins

Screening as part of Light Show #1 – a celebration of celluloid magic curated by MUBI, ICA and Little White Lies