Series Site
January 17–February 28, 2026
François Truffaut (1932–1984), whose career began as a journalist at Cahiers du cinéma before he turned to filmmaking, rose to fame during the period of the French New Wave as one of the art film movement’s founding members. His debut feature, The 400 Blows, is one of the great works of world cinema, and Truffaut’s contributions as an auteur over the next twenty-five years hold an important place in the history of cinema. This series represents a selection of films from across the span of Truffaut’s career, including several starring the exceptional actor Jean-Pierre Léaud, who plays Truffaut’s alter ego, Antoine Doinel, in The 400 Blows, Antoine and Colette, and Stolen Kisses. It also features The Wild Child and Day for Night, in which Truffaut cast himself to play on-screen roles.
Laura Truffaut has been based in Berkeley since 1979, originally as a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. Growing up in France, she frequently visited the sets of her father’s movies, and she worked as assistant script supervisor on Small Change (1976). She enjoys having the opportunity to introduce her father’s films and discuss his passion for cinema with students and cinephiles at cinematheques. We are extremely grateful that she will introduce and lead post-screening discussions for all the films in this series.
—Susan Oxtoby, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator