Cinevardaphoto

Legendary auteur Agnes Varda's feature films are justly praised as major contributions to French cinema; she's often affectionately referred to as the grandmother of the nouvelle vague. But while many of her documentary shorts are exemplars of the form, they rarely receive the exposure they deserve. This wonderful compendium of three cinema essays on photography, culled from various stages in Varda's long career, are a welcome introduction to yet another facet of an artist who continues to beguile well into her seventies. The first, "Ydessa, the Bears and Etc." (2004), is the most recent: a 45-minute portrait of eccentric Toronto-based collector, curator and installa...