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]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Window | Yes | Yes | No | Short Film |
| 2006 | Visiting Shane | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| 2006 | Moon (The 1,000 Sides of the Moon) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film |
| 2008 | Lisette | Yes | Yes | No | Short Film |
| 2008 | Runaway Stars | Yes | Yes | No | TV series |
| 2008 | Sprung | Yes | No | No | Short Film |
| 2009 | Race to the Sky | Yes | No | No | Short Film |
| 2010 | What Kind of Planet Are We On? | Yes | Yes | No | Short Film |
| 2010 | A Million Spokes | Yes | No | No | Documentary |
| 2011 | Journey to Safety | Yes | Yes | No | Short Film |
| 2011 | Ode to Los Angeles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film |
| 2013 | ForgiveOne | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film |
| 2015 | Big Voice | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| 2018 | 9-1-1 | Yes | No | No | 1 episode [14] |
| 2020 | Fandango at the Wall | Yes | Yes | No | Documentary |
| 2024 | ARTBOUND: The Cheech | Yes | Yes | No | Documentary |
| 2025 | Janis Ian: Breaking Silence | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary |