This course will survey the French New Wave, an innovative movement that redefined cinema around the world. Definitions of cinematographic key elements and the study of the historical context of the 1950s and 1960s will allow students to better understand how a group of young critics – among whom Truffaut, Godard, Rivette, Varda, Resnais, and Rohmer- transformed filmmaking. We will also consider the work of contemporary francophone African filmmakers, such as Ousmane Sembene, and examine how they influenced and were influenced (or not) by those directors. Weekly screenings and theoretical readings will provide a background to this exploration. The impact of the New Wave(s) will also be considered in later films.