"The love triangle in this movie has probably been the biggest influence on my writing. Truffaut’s rivals aren’t out to destroy each other, they love each other as much as the woman they’re chasing, and this makes the conflict and complications all the more powerful. This film taught me that as a screenwriter you have to have compassion for all your characters, and that nothing is ever black and white."

"It seems that any filmmaker’s first film idea is something about the mawkish predicament of a ten- or twelve-year-old child quite a bit like themselves—and usually their careers end with this choice (Sundance and other debut-oriented film festivals their final resting place). Truffaut took this dimmest of subjects and made one of the most radiant films of all time, in glorious black and white."

"Baldwin’s grand novel, Another Country, delivers beatnik-era 1950s, with characters who are on all sides of black, white, gay and straight, twisting complex lives into a magical taffy of perfection. By humanizing the bourgeoning civil rights movement and changing attitudes towards women, Baldwin creates a historical portrait of America that is a great key to understanding where we come from."

"My husband and I were in Seville, Spain, during a citywide celebration of flamenco. Massive, stark, black-and-white photographs of passionate female flamenco dancers lined the street. We looked into buying a print. They were way out of our price range. The next year, all of the prints were published in this book. It was my birthday present to myself."

"My friend Leila Arab turned me on to them. I love their songs, especially Full Moon (Death Classic) and Guillotine. Intense rapping, lyrics and lush beats. It's all good. They stand out because they're visceral, but also the global, fresh mix of a black English guy and a white Cali drummer and punk and hip-hop. Mostly I don't listen to experimental rap but in between there are gems, the same with all music genres."