All All. Sign In. Academy Award for Best Director. List activity. Christopher Nolan. Writer Producer Director Tenet Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the biggest blockbusters ever made and became one of the most celebrated filmmakers of modern cinema. At 7 years old, Nolan began making short films with his father's Super-8 camera. The noir thriller was recognized at a number of international film festivals prior to its theatrical release and gained Nolan enough credibility that he was able to gather substantial financing for his next film.
Nolan's second film was Memento , which he directed from his own screenplay based on a short story by his brother Jonathan Nolan. Nolan went on to direct the critically acclaimed psychological thriller, Insomnia , starring Al Pacino , Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. The turning point in Nolan's career occurred when he was awarded the chance to revive the Batman franchise in In Batman Begins , Nolan brought a level of gravitas back to the iconic hero, and his gritty, modern interpretation was greeted with praise from fans and critics alike.
Before moving on to a Batman sequel, Nolan directed, co-wrote, and produced the mystery thriller The Prestige , starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as magicians whose obsessive rivalry leads to tragedy and murder. In , Nolan directed, co-wrote, and produced The Dark Knight Co-written with by his brother Jonathan, the film went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
Nolan was nominated for a Directors Guild of America D. Award, Writers Guild of America W. Award and Producers Guild of America P. Award, and the film also received eight Academy Award nominations. The film is widely considered one of the best comic book adaptations of all times, with Heath Ledger 's performance as the Joker receiving an extremely high acclaim.
Ledger posthumously became the first Academy Award winning performance in a Nolan film. In , Nolan captivated audiences with the Sci-Fi thriller Inception , starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role, which he directed and produced from his own original screenplay that he worked on for almost a decade.
