MOVIES - Jan. 15, 1993

Reality Check: French documentary director Agnes Varda, who helped launch the New Wave nearly 40 years ago, on Thursday introduced UCLA’s “Lumiere’s Century: The Art of Reality,” a series of French documentaries spanning the past 100 years. Earlier, she reflected on her work and that of her colleagues, telling The Times that “Now, at the end of the century, we have to confront the lack of effect of these documentaries on reality.” However, she said: “It’s very symbolic that this series happens during the Oscar race, because none of these films were made to win anything. The filmmakers were just attempting a complicity with the audience, and they speak of the honesty of the French cinema.” The series continues through Feb. 11.