Posts: 2

1. Bio

   14.Jun.07, 19:34 EDT
   
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   Varda received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and Cultural Anthropology from Cornell University; attended NYU to further her studies in acting and directing; then went on to earn an MFA in filmmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. She entered the film world as a Script Supervisor and had the good fortune to work with accomplished independent film directors like Jim Jarmusch, Wayne Wang and Carol Ballard, top commercial directors such as Marcus Nispel, Mark Romanek, Rocky Morton with actors like Nicholas Cage, Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Gena Rowlands & Donald Sutherland. Varda has directed a number of award-winning shorts. She was one of seven directors to be selected out of over three hundred entrants to participate in a digital filmmaking contest called Flicks on 66. Her short “MIRROR-MIRROR,” which evolved out of this competition, premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The film garnered positive reviews and was picked up for online distribution by Greencine. Varda has written and directed a series of micro films: “First Kiss” “Stretched Too Thin” “Overachiever,” and “Fast Food Dogs.” “First Kiss” premiered at the Dragon*Con film festival in Atlanta, and “Stretched Too Thin” at the Raindance Film Festival in London, where it was selected as a “Best of Raindance Shorts”. This funny little film was also an official selection at the Griffon Int’l Film Festival, the Int’l Mini DV Festival in Los Angeles and at Canada’s Pres Ca court! “First Kiss” was just selected as a winner in the FILMMAKA short film contest. Varda’s feature documentary VISITING SHANE about the powerful relationships between a dying veteran, his mother, and three hospice volunteers who care for him was selected as a finalist in the Greencine On-line Film Festival, was an Official Selection at the Hearts and Minds Film Festival, then was picked up for distribution by NETA. In 2007, SHANE will air on over a dozen PBS stations across the US. “WINDOW,” a 35mm short starring Louis Gossett Jr. and Robert Peters and co-written and directed by Varda premiered at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, won the “Best Screenplay Award” from the Creative Screenwriting Journal at the Hollyshorts Int’l Film Festival, and a “Crystal Heart Award” at the Heartland Film Festival. It was picked up by a nationally syndicated television show and distributed to over 85 television stations across the country including FOX, ABC, CBS. MOVING PICTURES MAGAZINE selected WINDOW as one of five “best” shorts of 2006. Varda’s new short film, THE THOUSAND SIDES OF THE MOON featuring the astounding poet/artist/composer Mauricio Saravia was a winner of the Moving Picture Magazine Short Film Contest. The Magazine has included MOON in a promotional DVD being distributed to over 100,000 recipients. Based on her work with MOON, Varda has received an invitation to be part of the American Pavilion’s prestigious filmmakers’ program at the Cannes Film Festival. Currently, Varda is in post-production on SPRUNG. Written by Becca Topol (RAMEN GIRL), SPRUNG is a quirky comedy homage to silent films. Varda is also collaborating with Karen Lavender to develop the feature project A THOUSAND FREEWAYS, co-written with Patrick S. Bennett. Varda who has directed a number of Public Service Announcements, Spec Commercials and a series of HD documentary shorts for WAL MART recently signed with ALTURAS FILMS to direct commercials. Varda is committed to making meaningful & engaging entertainment that explores what it means to be human.

2. FILM FESTIVALS-AWARDS-GRANTS

   14.Jun.07, 19:33 EDT
   
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   FILM FESTIVALS-AWARDS-GRANTS (2004-present) Flicks on 66 South by Southwest Film Festival Dragon*Con Film Festival (best comedy short – First Kiss) Griffon International Film Festival Hollywood International Mini-Dv Festival London’s Raindance Film Festival (Best of Shorts – Stretched Too Thin) Los Angeles Int’l Short Film Festival Harlem Int’l Film Festival Humboldt Film Festival Temecula International Film Festival Malibu Film Festival Methodfest Pacific Palisades Film Fest San Francisco Women’s Film Festival GreenCine Online Film Festival (Finalist Feature Documentary – Visiting Shane) FIND’s Cine Lounge Screening Hearts and Minds Film Festival Park City Music In Film Festival Dam Short Film Festival (Finalist – Best Drama - Window) South Africa’s Innis Bos Film Festival Crested Butte Film Festival Wine Country Film Festival Reel Women Film Festival Hollyshorts Short Film Festival (Creative Screenwriting Magazine: Best Screenplay-Window) Heartland Film Festival (Crystal Heart Award Winner - Window) Hamptons International Film Festival Moving Pictures Magazine Short Film Contest (Runner-up – The Thousand Sides of the Moon) American Pavillion at Cannes Filmmaker Program Cornell Alumni Short Film Contest (Spring, 2007) North Fork Film Festival (Fall, 2007) FILMAKA CONTEST (Entry Winner - First Kiss) AFFILIATIONS: Varda is Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Women In Film PSA Program & a member of Film Independent and the Alliance of Women Directors.