"Controversial at first, and still by the time I got around to reading it 20 years after its initial release. The fact that it was available in France yet banned in the USA made it even more interesting. While shocked and amused, I was very often surprisingly inspired by Miller."

"A Senegalese woman moves to Antibes to work for a white family. I’ll give you one guess as to how that goes. Her life in France is totally oppressive and not at all romantic. At just under an hour the film plays out like a Greek tragedy. Lyrical and elegant and pointed."

"This Dutch director George Sluizer is actually a Frenchman, or born in France anyway. This creepy 1988 thriller about a woman abducted and the torment her kidnapper puts her boyfriend through was remade by the director as an American film in 1993. But check out this original and see if you don’t have nightmares."

"This film is another touchstone for me, and I have based several paintings on it (as well as on many other films on my list). Toulouse, France, during the German occupation. A very odd romance blooms between the mismatched young couple. Aurore Clément is fabulous. Pierre Blais died soon after. Great Django Reinhardt soundtrack."

"This 1976 book, still in print in France as La Cuisine du Marché, was a strong inspiration to both my mother and my childhood self. The book played a big part in fueling my passion for food and cooking. I must have read it a thousand times—I fantasized over every recipe when I should have been doing my homework!"