Presented by Green Apple Books
Author Ericka Knudson will be there to introduce the film and sell copies of her book Nouvelles Femmes: Modern Women of the French New Wave and Their Enduring Contribution to Cinema
Ferdinand (Jean-Paul Belmondo), unhappily married and recently fired from his job, abandons his family and runs off to the Riviera with the enigmatic Marianne (Anna Karina). Ferdinand, whom Marianne calls “Pierrot,” tries to find artistic fulfillment between bouts of criminal adventure, but keeps getting entangled in Marianne’s violent life.
About Nouvelles Femmes: Modern Women of the French New Wave and Their Enduring Contribution to Cinema
In Nouvelle Femmes Ericka Knudson examines the actresses and filmmakers who played a central role in one of the most innovative periods in film history. Moving beyond the myth of the male auteur, the book highlights how women of the French New Wave shaped modern cinema through performance, authorship, style, and cultural influence.
Through film analysis, archival material, and the women’s own words, Nouvelles Femmes offers a renewed perspective on figures such as Anna Karina, Jeanne Moreau, Jean Seberg, Brigitte Bardot, and Agnès Varda. Thoughtfully researched and accessible, the book underscores their lasting impact on cinematic language and representations of women on screen.
About the Author
Ericka Knudson holds a Ph.D. in Film Studies from Université Paris Ouest Nanterre, specializing in French New Wave cinema. Her new book, Nouvelles Femmes: Modern Women of the French New Wave and Their Enduring Contribution to Cinema, inspired a class that she is currently teaching at Stanford Continuing Studies. She has also taught film at Harvard University, Northeastern University, and Université Paris Descartes, published on French cinema, and co-authored a book on world film.