Agnés Varda directed her first film in 1955, but I didn't discover her pioneering work until 2000, the year of THE GLEANERS AND I, her extraordinary documentary that was shot with an early digital camcorder. It was a revelation. In 1962 she directed the drama CLEO FROM 5 TO 7, an account of an hour and a half in the life of a normally carefree woman who is awaiting a medical diagnosis. It's a vibrant, on-the-street study of Paris in the early sixties, and an interior portrait of a woman's fears and contradictions. As a coda to Varda's remarkable creative career, I am pleased to also add to our Library her final film, VARDA BY AGNÉS, a journey through her life's work, as well as a window into the processes by which she made that work. 

     One of Varda's contemporaries was the great director François Truffaut. His classic THE 400 BLOWS (1959) also begins streaming this week.

     A new film not to be missed is PLATFORM, which follows three Iranian sisters as they compete to become international champions of Wushu, a Chinese martial art. Watch the trailer.

     Bob Dylan is captured on screen as he never would be in again in DON'T LOOK BACK, the groundbreaking film from D.A. Pennebaker. We find Dylan on tour in England in 1965, which would be his last as an acoustic artist. Featuring some of his most famous songs, including "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." The film is a radically conceived portrait of an American icon that has influenced decades of vérité documentaries.

     Dive into our comedy section and you'll now find three classics: The Beatles in A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and Charlie Chaplin in CITY LIGHTS and THE GOLD RUSH.

     EARTH depicts seven locations where humans have transformed entire sections of our planet on a grand scale: Mountains are moved in California, tar sands excavations endanger indigenous people in Canada. Initially photographed from above as abstract paintings, these terrains are subsequently explored on the ground. The dimensions are gigantic, the proportions out of control, the world has slipped from humanity's grasp.

     And finally, two portraits about very passionate artists. IMPULSO features the spectacular avant-garde choreographies of flamenco dancer Rocio Molina, who has electrified audiences around the world with her mesmerizing improvised pieces. And DRIES offers an intimate insight into the life, mind and creative heart of Dries Van Noten, the master fashion designer who for more than 25 years has remained independent in a landscape of fashion consolidation and globalization. "This film about Belgian designer Dries Van Noten is a cut above the rest." -South China Morning Post

     We are working hard every day to re-open the theatres as soon as possible. When we have a confirmed date it will posted here, on our website, and on Facebook and Instagram.

     This Sunday, July 11th, marks our 29th anniversary. Thank you, as always, for your generous, loyal support.

Cinematically Yours,
Rocky