Christopher Nolan bags first Oscar for ‘Oppenheimer’ directorial

Christopher Nolan bags first Oscar for ‘Oppenheimer’ directorial

Christopher Nolan’s cherished dream to bag the prestigious Oscars and attain the frontrunner status got fulfilled on Sunday, 10 March when he was honoured with his first ever Award.

The 53-year-old British visionary won critical acclaim throughout his career, but had never won an Oscar as of now.

Though he was nominated for directing ‘Dunkirk’ in 2017 and for original screenplay in 2010 for ‘Inception’ and in 2001 for ‘Memento’, he never got the Oscar.

At the podium, Nolan noted that movies are just a little bit over 100 years old and expressed her gratitude to the Academy for the honour done to him finally.

Nolan went on to say that one never knows where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that he is a meaningful part of it means the world to him .

‘Oppenheimer’ closed the evening by winning best picture, one of seven Oscars it earned, including best actor for Cillian Murphy and supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. The film earned a leading 13 nominations and has earned nearly $1 billion worldwide.

Nolan superceded Jonathan Glazer of ‘The Zone of Interest’, Yorgos Lanthimos of ‘Poor Things’, Martin Scorsese of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and Justine Triet of ‘Anatomy of a Fall’.
At 81, Scorsese was the oldest directing nominee.

Notedly, Nolan’s wife Emma Thomas cheered him. On two occasions she shared best picture nominations with her husband for producing ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Inception’. The college sweethearts have been producing partners on all of his films since 1997.

Nolan had been the frontrunner throughout awards season, earning the top prize from the Directors Guild of America along with directing honors at the BAFTA Film Awards and Golden Globes.

News Edit K.V.Raman