Varda Bar-Kar

Varda Bar-Kar is a film director, writer, and producer based in Santa Monica, California. 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.

Life and career Varda was born in London, England to a South African mother and Romanian father. She holds a BA in theater arts from Cornell University and an MFA in film studies from the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). She worked as a script supervisor for directors Jim Jarmusch, Wayne Wang and Carroll Ballard.

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. She is a member of the DGA, Film Fatales and the Alliance of Women Directors. 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.

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.

Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2005 Window Short Film 2006 Visiting Shane Documentary 2006 Moon (The 1,000 Sides of the Moon) Short Film 2008 Lisette Short Film 2008 Runaway Stars TV series 2008 Sprung Short Film 2009 Race to the Sky Short Film 2010 What Kind of Planet Are We On? Short Film 2010 A Million Spokes Documentary 2011 Journey to Safety Short Film 2011 Ode to Los Angeles Short Film 2013 ForgiveOne Short Film 2015 Big Voice Documentary 2018 9-1-1 1 episode 2020 Fandango at the Wall Documentary 2024 ARTBOUND: The Cheech Documentary 2025 Janis Ian: Breaking Silence Documentary