To celebrate the launch of NOUVELLES FEMMES, Ericka Knudson will bring a presentation about the iconic female actors and filmmakers of the French New Wave to First Light Books. Please join us to journey through cinema history, featuring visuals and clips presented with exclusive commentary from Ericka.

Tickets include a copy of NOUVELLES FEMMES and a reserved seat at the event. Reserved seating is limited, and any unreserved standing room will be available on a first-come, first served basis. Free RSVPs are also encouraged.

About the book

The films of the French New Wave (1950s and 1960s) continue to fascinate audiences around the world with their spirit of bold experimentation, their complicated and modern female characters, and their fresh and unmistakable style, which signaled the arrival of a new generation of filmmakers eager to reject the staid filmmaking traditions of the past. Many of the most significant film artists of the era were women, working both on‐screen and behind the camera.

NOUVELLES FEMMES by film historian Ericka Knudson is an in‐depth exploration and celebration of these female actors, writers, directors, designers, and filmmakers who made the French New Wave an international sensation. The book examines their innovations, their creativity, and their enduring influence on film, art, and fashion. Included here are actresses such as Anna Karina, Jeanne Moreau, Jean Seberg, Brigitte Bardot, filmmaker Agnès Varda, and more, along with films that are now acknowledged as classics of film history, including Breathless, Jules et Jim, Bande à part, Hiroshima mon amour, Alphaville, and Lola.

About the author

Ericka Knudson fell in love with world films in the many independent theaters Austin had to offer while she was studying at the University of Texas. After her masters, she continued her studies and her adventures in cinema in Paris, obtaining a doctorate in film studies from Université Paris Nanterre, with a dissertation in French on New Wave cinema. Returning to the States, she taught French film at Harvard for almost a decade before moving back to Texas during the pandemic. Since then, technology has allowed her to continue teaching courses about French, Italian, and Latin American film from her home in the Texas Hill Country for universities coast to coast (Stanford Continuing Studies and for Northeastern in Boston).

Texas is also where she wrote her new book, Nouvelles Femmes: Modern Women of the French New Wave and Their Enduring Contribution to Cinema. Knudson has published numerous articles on cinema and literature, and co-wrote the pedagogical book, Cultivating Creativity through World Films with Dr. David Campos, professor of education at UIW in San Antonio. Her research and teaching explore cultural identity in the hopes of bringing people together through stories in books and in film.