Agnès Varda’s Rare Short Film ‘The Little Story of Gwen’ Debuts Online for Free — Watch
Zack Sharf
An extremely rare short film directed by Agnès Varda has debuted online for free just a couple weeks after the one-year anniversary of the legendary French filmmaker’s death. The short film, “The Little Story of Gwen From French Brittany,” is streaming on YouTube courtesy of the American Cinematheque, the nonprofit dedicated to the history and culture of movies. The organization has announced plans to take its programming to the virtual space in the weeks ahead, starting with the online debut of Varda’s “The Little Story of Gwen From French Brittany.”
Varda shot “The Little Story of Gwen From French Brittany” over several years beginning in 1996. The documentary short follows Varda’s friend Gwen Deglise as the two meet in Paris in 1996 and Deglise then moves to Los Angeles. Deglise is now the head programmer for the American Cinematheque. The short film was sent to American Cinematheque accompanied by a letter from Deglise in which she writes about how her life often crossed paths with Varda’s since their first meeting in 1996 (via Deadline). It was during this first encounter where Varda asked Deglise if she could follow her around with a camera as Deglise ventured to Los Angles.
“Today, now as Head Programmer of the organization, I think back fondly on all the memories with Agnès including her encouragement 26 years ago to move to L.A. and to seek out the American Cinematheque,” Deglise writes. “I cherish the long evenings spent together planning her events at the AC, as well as the wisdom she offered at many of life’s important moments. Of her many gifts: her curiosity was limitless, her appetite for life boundless. The endless inventiveness of her art shines through in her films and was inspiring to witness, and a privilege to be close to.”
The American Cinematheque is also known for operating the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The organization has been in the news for the last several months over its negotiations with Netflix to take over the Egyptian Theater. The agreement is expected to continue to allow the American Cinematheque to program on weekends.
Watch Varda’s short film “The Little Story of Gwen From French Brittany” in the video below.
