Christopher Nolan awards and nominationsNolan in 2011
Awards and nominations Award
Wins
Nominations
2
8
2
8
2
10
1
5
1
5
1
4
1
3
Wins 192 Nominations 535 Note
^ Certain award groups do not simply award one winner. They recognize several different recipients, have runners-up, and have third place. Since this is a specific recognition and is different from losing an award, runner-up mentions are considered wins in this award tally. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.
British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan has received many awards and honours throughout his career. He has won two Academy Awards , two British Academy Film Awards , one Golden Globe Award , one Directors Guild of America Award , one Producers Guild of America Awards , and one Writers Guild of America Awards . He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for his services to film.[ 1] In 2024, Nolan received the British Film Institute Fellowship for his "extraordinary achievements and enormous contribution to cinema."[ 2]
At the 2001 Sundance Film Festival , Nolan and his brother Jonathan won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Memento , and in 2003 Nolan received the Sonny Bono Visionary Award from the Palm Springs International Film Festival . Festival executive director Mitch Levine said, "Nolan had in his brief time as a feature film director, redefined and advanced the very language of cinema".[ 3] He was named an Honorary Fellow of UCL in 2006, and conferred an honorary doctorate in literature (DLit) in 2017.[ 4] [ 5] In 2009, the director received the Board of the Governors Award from the American Society of Cinematographers .[ 6] In 2011 Nolan received the Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts [ 7] and the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award from American Cinema Editors .[ 8] That year he also received the Modern Master Award, the highest honour presented by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival .[ 9] In addition, Nolan was the recipient of the inaugural VES Visionary Award from the Visual Effects Society .[ 10]
In 2012 he became the youngest director to be honoured with a hand-and-footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.[ 11] Nolan received the first-ever Founder's Award from Slamdance Film Festival in 2014.[ 12] The Art Directors Guild selected Nolan as the recipient of its Cinematic Imagery Award in 2015, an honour bestowed upon those whose body of work has "richly enhanced the visual aspects of the movie-going experience".[ 13] He was selected as the 2015 Class Day speaker at Princeton University and was awarded the Empire Inspiration Award at the 20th Empire Awards .[ 14] [ 15] In the following years he received the FIAF Award from the archival community, and the inaugural Vanguard Award from The Digital Entertainment Group.[ 16] [ 17] The director has been honoured with career retrospectives at the Walker Art Center and Institut Lumière .[ 18] [ 19] In 2023, Nolan was awarded the Federation of American Scientists ' Public Service Award.[ 20] A year later he received the Honorary César from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma ,[ 21] the Visionary Award from the Saturn Awards ,[ 22] and the inaugural Trailblazer Award at 2024 Sundance Film Festival .[ 23]
In March 2024, the British Government announced that Nolan, along with his wife and producer Emma Thomas would be awarded a knighthood and damehood respectively for their "services to film".[ 24]
^ "OFFICIAL SENSITIVE – HONOURS" (PDF) . December 29, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018 .
^ Roxborough, Scott (December 4, 2023). "Christopher Nolan to Get BFI Fellowship" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 4, 2023 .
^ "Palm Springs fetes Nolan" . Variety . January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
^ "Honorary Fellows of UCL" . UCL. 2006. Retrieved March 11, 2013 .
^ "Back to where it all began: Christopher Nolan awarded honorary doctorate at UCL" . UCL. 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017 .
^ "Cinematographers To Honor Christopher Nolan" . American Society of Cinematographers. 16 December 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013 .
^ " 'Inception' director tops himself again" . Variety . November 4, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 20, 2011). "Christopher Nolan Credits Editor Lee Smith With Helping Viewers Understand 'Inception' " . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
^ "Modern Master – Christopher Nolan" . Santa Barbara International Film Festival. October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
^ Kilday, Gregg (November 17, 2011). "Christopher Nolan to Be Honored With First Visual Effects Society Visionary Award" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
^ Christopher Nolan Hand and Footprint Ceremony, EW Magazine
^ Patches, Matt (January 10, 2014). "Christopher Nolan to Be Honored with Founder's Award at 20th Slamdance Fest (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 10, 2013 .
^ "Christopher Nolan Tapped for Imagery Award from Art Directors Guild" . Variety . December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014 .
^ "Christopher Nolan selected as 2015 Class Day speaker" . princeton.edu . December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014 .
^ " 'Interstellar' wins Film, Director at Empire Awards" . Variety . March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015 .
^ "Christopher Nolan's Interstellar in 70mm" . Oscars.org . April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017 .
^ "Christopher Nolan to Receive Vanguard Honor" . The Hollywood Reporter . September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018 .
^ "Walker Art Center to host 'Dark Knight' director Christopher Nolan" . StarTribune . March 24, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015 .
^ "Christopher Nolan, un magicien à Hollywood – "Christopher Nolan, a Hollywood magician" " . Institut Lumière . April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019 .
^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 10, 2023). "Christopher Nolan To Be Lauded For 'Oppenheimer' By The Federation of American Scientists" . Deadline . Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 .
^ Goodfellow, Melanie (January 19, 2024). "Christopher Nolan To Be Feted In France With Honorary César" . Deadline . Retrieved January 19, 2024 .
^ "Christopher Nolan Lands Saturn Awards Honor (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter . December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 .
^ "Christopher Nolan to Be Honored with Inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award at 2024 Sundance Film Festival's Opening Night Gala: Celebrating 40 Years Presented by Chase Sapphire®" . Sundance Institute . January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023 .
^ "Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas to receive a knighthood and damehood" . BBC News . March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024 .