Alain Resnais' groundbreaking first feature, HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, was a springboard for the French New Wave movement and its influence continues to this day. A French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) engage in a brief, passionate affair in post war Hiroshima. Their deeply intense connection brings out scarred but fading memories of love and suffering, which Resnais communicates with the use of flashback techniques innovative to the time. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR won the prestigious Prix FIPRESCI and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. Jean-Luc Godard had high praise for the films originality, describing its inventiveness as the first film without any cinematic references.