“A masterpiece, clearly one of the finest films in many a year.” - Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune
"Cool, enigmatic, and as gripping as any thriller." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Sandrine Bonnaire won the Best Actress César for her portrayal of the defiant young drifter Mona, found frozen to death in a ditch at the beginning of VAGABOND. Agnès Varda pieces together Mona’s story through flashbacks told by those who encountered her (played by a largely nonprofessional cast), producing a splintered portrait of an enigmatic woman. With its sparse, poetic imagery, VAGABOND (SANS TOIT NI LOI) is a stunner, and won Varda the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Awards & Nominations
1985 Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion
1986 César Awards - Best Film and Best Director
Ages of Agnès | May 2–27, 2026
In a career spanning seven decades, artist and filmmaker Agnès Varda crafted an unparalleled canon of formally innovative and poetic films. Considered a progenitor of the French New Wave, her shape-shifting films often employ a hybrid of documentary and fictional narrative approaches and prioritize women’s stories and perspectives. The six films in Ages of Agnès, each from a different decade, chart Varda’s groundbreaking career and celebrate her compelling and charismatic style of filmmaking.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu