Agnès Varda, the late New Wave cinema legend, is the subject of “Viva Varda!,” a documentary boasting exclusive archive footage and interviews by filmmakers such as Atom Egoyan and Audrey Diwan. Mk2 Films is co-representing the documentary feature with Cinétévé Sales.
“Viva Varda!” will be first portrait of the Honorary Oscar recipient that’s not directed by Varda herself. The last film she directed was “Varda par Agnes,” a documentary shedding light on her own experiences as a filmmaker. Her sprawling career and legacy will be celebrated this fall at the French Cinémathèque.
Pierre-Henri Gibert, a film buff who’s made several documentaries about filmmakers, including Jacques Audiard, explored different aspects of Varda’s life and body of work and conducted insightful interviews with friends, family, and collaborators, including Varda’s children, Rosalie Varda and Mathieu Demy, along with Sandrine Bonnaire, Patricia Mazuy and Jonathan Romney, among others.
“Viva Varda!” is produced by Cinétévé and Ciné-Tamaris, the banner that Varda ran with her daughter Rosalie.
“With the upcoming homage at the French Cinémathèque, I felt like the time was right to start searching for the first time in our archives at rue Daguerre in Paris [where Ciné-Tamaris is located] and dig out some lost and never-before-seen images Agnès shot for various projects”, said Rosalie Varda, who is co-producing the film.
“What we found is a rich and fascinating material which would be dear to everyone who loved Agnès and her art. We also asked those who were closest to Agnès to share personal memories about her,” she continued. Varda said she hopes the documentary “will inspire new generations of filmmakers.”
Mk2 Films is also at the Berlin Film Festival with Charlie Chaplin’s “A Woman of Paris,” which is screening in the Berlinale Classics section as part of the centennial of the movie. “A Woman in Paris” is part of Mk2 Films’ library of 800 films. A societal drama about two lovers in the French capital during the Roaring Twenties, “A Woman of Paris” is believed to have inspired many other filmmakers, from Ernst Lubitsch to Martin Scorsese.
The restored 4K master of “A Woman of Paris” features a new soundtrack with a reconstruction of Chaplin’s score orchestration by Timothy Brock and previously unheard compositions by Chaplin.
“We are deeply honored by this official selection of Charles Chaplin’s influential feature”, said Frédérique Rouault, head of collections at Mk2 Films. “This selection highlights the attention we give to our catalog of films, by consistently undertaking restorations of major films in cinema history and promoting them in creative ways.”
The executive pointed out “Viva Varda!” will be added to Mk2 Films’ collection of Agnes Varda films, which the banner represents worldwide. “With the recent acquisitions of the Raoul Peck and Marcel Pagnol catalogs, this clearly shows how alive classic films are at Mk2,” Rouault added.
Mk2 Films also recently boarded “The Successor,” Xavier Legrand‘s anticipated follow up to his 2017 feature debut “Custody,” which won two prizes at Venice and swept four Cesar Awards. “The Successor” will star Marc-André Grondin as the newly-announced artistic director of a famous Parisian fashion house.
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