Few directors have been as defining and influential in their craft during the 21st century as Christopher Nolan, weaving together many high-octane thrillers and blockbusters to be one of the most acclaimed directors of all time. From major franchises like his Batman trilogy to a wide variety of singular original stories, few blockbuster filmmakers have achieved such high recognition among audiences than Nolan. Despite being a widely beloved director for so long, the filmmaker only just recently received his first Academy Award win for Oppenheimer, taking home 2 Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.
However, this doesn’t mean that Nolan wasn’t recognized by the Academy until Oppenheimer, as the vast majority of his films have been recognized in some way, whether it be various tech awards or even as Best Picture contenders. Especially with all the excitement surrounding the recently announced The Odyssey, which will assuredly receive Oscar nominations of its own, as well as the latest Oscar season well underway, there’s no better time than the present to look back on the history of Nolan at the Academy Awards.
12
‘Following’ (1998)
0 Nominations
Nolan’s quaint and small-scale feature-length directorial debut, Following is certainly one of the most often forgotten and unrecognized in Nolan’s filmography, with this sentiment also reflected in its lack of Academy nominations. The film follows aspiring writer Bill as he traverses the crowded streets of London deciding to follow strangers at random to be able to explore and experience this twist on life. While this initially innocent habit seems to be light fun at first, it soon takes a dangerous turn when he crosses paths with a mysterious individual.
While Following itself may not have been recognized by the Academy Awards, the film’s legacy and influence throughout all of Nolan’s filmography is still greatly seen and felt throughout the film. The exciting twists and turns, self-reflective and fragmented protagonists, and other great Nolan conventions all find their start here, and while the director didn’t have the recognition that he has now, there’s a genuine chance that the film could have received a nomination it was one of Nolan’s later works.
Following
- Release Date
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April 2, 1999
- Runtime
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69 minutes
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11
‘Insomnia’ (2002)
0 Nominations
Another often forgotten fragment of Nolan’s early filmography, Insomnia similarly didn’t receive any love from the Academy, yet by this point in time, Nolan had already established himself as an exciting up-and-coming director. The crime thriller follows a duo of Los Angeles homicide detectives who are dispatched to a northern town to investigate the mysterious and methodical murder of a local teenager. The film acts as a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, so while the film works well as a staple of Nolan’s filmmaking, the film faced difficulties due to changes from the original film.
Even without any Academy Award nominations to its name, Insomnia has a great number of unexpected benefits that give it solace among Nolan’s stacked filmography. The crime thriller approach is something rarely tackled in such a clearcut way by Nolan, with his style and signature storytelling fitting perfectly with this genre as a whole. Al Pacino and Robin Williams also give great performances as the leading duo, as both of them could have easily worked as possible acting nominations.
Insomnia
- Release Date
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May 24, 2002
- Runtime
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118 Minutes
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10
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (2012)
0 Nominations
Following the massive awards turnout for The Dark Knight, one would assume that some of this Academy recognition would translate to the widely anticipated sequel, The Dark Knight Rises. Yet even in the technical categories, The Dark Knight Rises unexpectedly missed in every category, making it the only film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy to not get an Academy Award nomination. However unlike the films from Nolan’s early career, this film ended up being the victim of a notable snub, missing out on a nomination that many people expected to happen.
Putting aside the issues that the film has as a notable downgrade to The Dark Knight, the undeniable strength of The Dark Knight Rises that should have been commemorated is the film’s visual effects. Even despite receiving nominations for its visual effects from the BAFTAs and Critic’s Choice Awards, the film was looked over and didn’t make the cut at the Academy Awards. Instead, the Academy would nominate films like The Avengers, Prometheus, and Snow White and the Huntsman over The Dark Knight Rises, choices that have only continued to age worse in the decade since.
9
‘Batman Begins’ (2005)
1 Nomination (and 0 wins)
The first film in Nolan’s widely acclaimed Batman trilogy, Batman Begins revitalized the Batman character when it comes to movies and brought the character back to a darker, serious tone that has defined the character since. The film acts as an origin story for Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) transforming into the striking figure of justice and vengeance for Gotham City. He then has to go against the man who trained him and stop his plan to destroy Gotham City.
The origin story made massive waves upon its release, being a massive critical and box office success and even earning an unexpected nomination at the 2006 Academy Awards. The film received a nomination for Best Cinematography, being the first nomination for longtime Nolan collaborator and cinematographer Wally Pfister. However, the film would not end up winning the award, losing to Memoirs of a Geisha, which would end up winning a total of 3 Academy Awards that night.
Batman Begins
- Release Date
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June 15, 2005
- Runtime
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140 Minutes
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8
‘Memento’ (2000)
2 Nominations (and 0 wins)
While not technically his first feature film, Memento is the film that for many audiences placed Nolan on the map as a writer/director to keep an eye out on, telling a gripping mystery story in a revolutionary, non-linear way. The film follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man suffering from short-term memory loss on a mission to track down the man who murdered his wife. However, his memory-loss often gets in the way of his quest, forcing Leonard to take notes and tattoo reminders on his body so that he knows what is real and what isn’t.
The immediate standout of Memento’s storytelling is its sequence of events, bouncing back and forth between the chronological beginning and end of the story before meeting in the all-revealing middle. This striking method of storytelling helped elevate the film to be a fan favorite of the early 2000s and garnered the film two Academy Award nominations. Nolan himself would receive his first Academy Award nomination alongside his brother for Best Original Screenplay while Dody Dorn would be nominated for Best Editing, although the film wouldn’t win either of these awards.
Memento
- Release Date
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May 25, 2001
- Runtime
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113 minutes
7
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
2 Nominations (and 0 wins)
The fan-favorite drama chronicling the deceptive and painful rival of best friend magicians turned greatest of enemies, The Prestige has only continued to grow as one of Nolan’s best films in the years since its release. The film follows magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who find themselves in a life-long battle for supremacy as the better magician, frequently ruining each other’s tricks and attempting to find secrets. Fueled by jealousy and obsession, their rivalry soon turns deadly as lives are lost in the process.
While the film didn’t receive a massively high number of Academy Awards nominations, it was still respected enough to get two nominations tied to its visual flair and style. The film received nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, which would end up losing both of these awards to Guillermo del Toro‘s gothic fantasy film, Pan’s Labyrinth. Ironically, the 2007 Academy Awards also nominated The Illusionist, another high-profile drama about competing magicians, for Best Cinematography the same year as The Prestige.
The Prestige
- Release Date
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October 20, 2006
- Runtime
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130 minutes
6
‘Tenet’ (2020)
2 Nominations (and 1 Win)
One of the more divisive films in Nolan’s recent filmography, Tenet is more widely recognized as the first major film to be released after theaters shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inviting audiences to return and experience its massive scale and scope on the biggest screen imaginable. The complicated and surrealist action film certainly has garnered both fans and haters since its release, yet its undeniable greatest strengths found themselves awarded at the Academy Awards for all to see.
Being one of the only true big-budget blockbusters to be released in 2020, it isn’t particularly surprising that Tenet would end up being nominated and winning the award for Best Visual Effects. However, this isn’t the only nomination that the film received, as it would also be recognized for its exceptional craft with a nomination for Best Production Design, although it would end up losing this award to David Fincher‘s Mank. Many are still upset about the fact that Ludwig Goransson‘s exceptional original score wasn’t nominated, although the composer would get his flowers soon enough.
Tenet
- Release Date
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September 3, 2020
- Runtime
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150 minutes
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5
‘Interstellar’ (2014)
5 Nominations (and 1 Win)
The large-scale sci-fi masterpiece that is largely touted as one of Nolan’s best cinematic outings to date, Interstellar similarly made massive waves at the Academy Awards. The film follows a group of explorers who attempt to use a newly discovered wormhole as a tool to surpass the limitations on human space travel, in the process managing to cross vast distances on an interstellar voyage across the cosmos. At the same time however, lead astronaut Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is constantly struggling and fighting for his humble family back home, fueling him to do the right thing.
The undeniable biggest strength of Interstellar is the craft and care put into its hyperrealistic portrayal of space that also manages to be brimming with creativity and passion at each passing scene. The filmmaking and execution of the film ended up being loved by the Academy through an array of nominations, including Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score. The clear highlight, however, as well as the one award that it would end up winning, is Best Visual Effects, being one of the defining winners of the category in the 2010s. The film sadly missed out on a Best Picture nomination, yet if the 2015 ceremony followed the now mandatory 10-nominee minimum instead of its chosen 8 nominees, it’s easy to see Interstellar getting nominated.
Interstellar
- Release Date
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November 7, 2014
- Runtime
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169 Minutes
4
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
8 Nominations (and 2 Wins)
The Dark Knight is often touted as not just one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, but one of the greatest action movies of the 21st century and one whose influence and legacy is still felt in blockbuster filmmaking to this day. The middle film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy has continuously proven to be one of his most defining releases, although its history with the Academy Awards is simultaneously filled with praise and harrowing disappointment.
From a pure numbers perspective, it would appear that The Dark Knight made a killing at the Academy Awards, earning high-profile nominations. This includes the likes of Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and notably a posthumous win for Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger‘s legendary take on The Joker. However, a notable omission is that of Best Picture and Best Director, with these very snubs directly changing the Best Picture Award forever as they would increase the number of nominees from 5 to 10 the next year.
3
‘Dunkirk’ (2017)
8 Nominations (and 3 Wins)
One of only three Christopher Nolan films that was nominated for Best Picture, the gripping and powerful World War II story of Dunkirk struck a chord with the Academy, who tend to award high-profile war epics. The film brings Nolan’s signature style and filmmaking techniques to the painful and war-torn beaches of Dunkirk during World War II, following the story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers who were cut off and surrounded by the German army.
Dunkirk made a massive showing at the Academy Awards in 2018, being the second most nominated film behind The Shape of Water as well as winning a fair bit of awards as well. The film’s three wins would all be technical categories, winning the awards for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Editing. Other notable nominations included Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Picture, and most notably of all, Nolan’s first time being nominated for Best Director.
Dunkirk
- Release Date
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July 21, 2017
- Runtime
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106 minutes
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2
‘Inception’ (2010)
8 Nominations (and 4 Wins)
A masterfully crafted, mind-melting thriller that is still many audiences’ first film that they think of when they consider the mastery and abilities of Christopher Nolan, Inception is a wildly exceptional cinematic achievement. The film follows a team of skilled thieves who commit their immaculate acts of corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious minds of their targets through their dreams. On what will be their most dangerous mission yet, the team is given the offer of a lifetime if they manage to accomplish the impossible, implanting another person’s idea into their target’s mind.
All the quintessential staples that have made Nolan a household name were further popularized and cemented in stone through Inception, through its sleek style, frequent twists and turns, and non-traditional mind-meld of storytelling. It made for the exact perfect mixture of blockbuster production and striking storytelling to be a major hit at the 2011 Academy Awards, winning awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Cinematography. Other nominations that the film didn’t win include Best Art Direction, Best Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture.
Inception
- Release Date
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July 16, 2010
- Runtime
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148 minutes
- Franchise(s)
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Inception
1
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
13 Nominations (and 7 Wins)
Nolan’s latest film and his undeniable cinematic opus when it comes to his achievements and blockbuster filmmaking, Oppenheimer will go down as one of the defining film experiences of the decade. The historical biopic follows the rise and story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the scientist primarily responsible for the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The film sees how his ideas and growth came to be as well as the destructive fallout and realization of pain that he has inflicted upon the world.
Oppenheimer is undeniably the biggest critical success that Nolan’s career has ever seen when it comes to award bodies and appraisal of his cinematic achievements. The film achieved a staggering 13 nominations and mostly swept the 2024 Academy Awards, winning a majority of top prizes including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and, of course, Best Picture. It’s very rare for a film to be as much of a major awards hit as it is a box office success, as this type of widely popular Best Picture winner rarely happens in the modern era of the Academy Awards, but it is a testament to Nolan’s strengths as a filmmaker.
Oppenheimer
- Release Date
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July 21, 2023
- Runtime
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150 Minutes
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