Varda Bar-Kar
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Varda Bar-Kar | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Film director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Varda Bar-Kar is a film director, writer, and producer based in Santa Monica, California.[1][2] She is best known for her short film Window, her viral video What Kind of Planet Are We On?, her documentary Big Voice, 9-1-1 (TV series), and her documentary Fandango at the Wall and Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.[3][4][5]
Varda was born in London, England to a South African mother and Romanian father.[6] She holds a BA in theater arts from Cornell University and an MFA in film studies from the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI).[7] She worked as a script supervisor for directors Jim Jarmusch, Wayne Wang and Carroll Ballard.[8]
In 2015, Varda's feature documentary, Big Voice, won Best Premiere Documentary at the Heartland Film Festival and the 2018 PBS SoCal broadcast of Big Voice won a Bronze Telly Award.[9][10] She is a member of the DGA, Film Fatales and the Alliance of Women Directors.[2][11] In 2024, She wrote and directed ARTBOUND: The Cheech, part of PBS SoCal’s ARTBOUND series, exploring the creation of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, featuring interviews with Cheech Marin.[12]
In 2025, Varda released Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, a documentary about singer-songwriter Janis Ian, featuring figures such as Lily Tomlin, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, and Laurie Metcalf. The film is structured around Ian’s albums and explores her personal and professional life.[13]