Agnes Varda dead at 90

Belgian-born filmmaker Agnes Varda has died at the age of 90.
Varda, who found fame with her 1962 film Cleo from 5 to 7, passed away on Thursday (29Mar19), her family told Agence France Presse.
“The director and artist Agnès Varda died at home on Thursday night due to cancer while surrounded by her loved ones and family,” they said in a statement.
Born Arlette Varda in Brussels, Belgium in 1928, she studied photography but moved into filmmaking with her 1954 debut La Pointe Courte, regarded by many as an early example of the French New Wave movement.
Its follow-up Cleo from 5 to 7, which followed a pop singer awaiting the results of a recent biopsy, won her international acclaim and is now regarded as a classic example of New Wave cinema.
She continued to make films right up until her later years, with her final work, Varda by Agnes, a documentary overview of her career and work methods, debuting at the Berlin Film Festival last month.
Her documentary Faces Places exploring her friendship with French graffiti artist JR, was nominated for an Oscar last year (18), making her the oldest person ever to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award.
Her other notable films include 1984’s Vagabond, Jacquot de Nantes, which debuted in 1991, and her 2000 documentary on life on French farms, The Gleaners and I.
Varda, who passed away two days before her 91st birthday, is survived by her two children, Mathieu, an actor, and Rosalie, a costume designer and actress who also produced Faces Places.