Following
Directs his debut feature Following, a low-budget crime film built around a fragmented, non-linear narrative.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Christopher Nolan Biography and Timeline
Follow Christopher Nolan through 50 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Christopher Nolan, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
50Distinct records
1 of 2Page
1998–2020Years on this page
1998
Following Production
Produces Following with Emma Thomas, beginning the long-running filmmaking partnership that continues across his subsequent features.
Following Screenplay
Writes the screenplay for Following, establishing themes of fractured chronology and unreliable perspective that recur throughout his later work.
2000
Memento
Directs Memento, a neo-noir psychological thriller whose reverse chronology becomes central to the film's critical reputation.
Memento Screenplay
Writes the screenplay for Memento from a story by his brother Jonathan Nolan.
2002
Insomnia
Directs Insomnia, starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, marking his first major studio thriller.
Academy Award Nomination for Memento
Receives an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay of Memento.
Golden Globe Nomination for Memento
Receives a Golden Globe nomination for the screenplay of Memento.
2005
Batman Begins
Directs Batman Begins, relaunching the Batman film series with a darker and more psychologically grounded approach.
Dark Knight Trilogy Begins
Begins the Dark Knight trilogy with Batman Begins, establishing Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Batman Begins Screenplay
Co-writes Batman Begins with David S. Goyer, developing the film's origin-story structure and realistic treatment of Bruce Wayne.
2006
The Prestige
Directs The Prestige, adapting Christopher Priest's novel about rival nineteenth-century stage magicians.
The Prestige Production
Produces The Prestige with Emma Thomas and Aaron Ryder.
The Prestige Screenplay
Co-writes The Prestige with Jonathan Nolan, using a layered structure focused on rivalry, obsession, identity and deception.
2008
The Dark Knight IMAX Photography
Uses large-format IMAX photography for major sequences in The Dark Knight, helping expand IMAX use in mainstream feature filmmaking.
The Dark Knight Trilogy Second Film
Releases the second Dark Knight film, with Heath Ledger's Joker becoming central to the film's critical reputation.
The Dark Knight Production
Produces The Dark Knight with Emma Thomas and Charles Roven.
The Dark Knight Screenplay
Co-writes The Dark Knight with Jonathan Nolan, expanding the moral and political conflict established in Batman Begins.
2010
Inception
Directs Inception, an original science-fiction thriller built around shared dreaming and layered narrative levels.
Inception Production
Produces Inception with Emma Thomas.
Inception Screenplay
Writes the original screenplay for Inception.
2011
Inception Academy Awards
Inception receives eight Academy Award nominations and wins four awards, including cinematography and visual effects.
Academy Award Nomination for Inception
Receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture as a producer of Inception.
Academy Award Nomination for Inception Screenplay
Receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Inception.
2012
Dark Knight Trilogy Completed
Completes his three-film Batman cycle with The Dark Knight Rises.
The Dark Knight Rises
Directs The Dark Knight Rises, the concluding film of his Batman trilogy.
The Dark Knight Rises Production Strategy
As producer, helps oversee the large-scale production that brings his three-film Batman cycle to its conclusion.
The Dark Knight Rises Screenplay
Co-writes The Dark Knight Rises with Jonathan Nolan, based on a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer.
2014
Interstellar Large-Format Filmmaking
Uses extensive large-format and IMAX photography for Interstellar to emphasize the scale of its space imagery.
Interstellar
Directs Interstellar, a science-fiction drama about space exploration, relativity and humanity's search for a new home.
Interstellar Production
Produces Interstellar with Emma Thomas and Lynda Obst.
Interstellar Screenplay
Co-writes Interstellar with Jonathan Nolan.
2017
Dunkirk
Directs Dunkirk, depicting the 1940 evacuation through intersecting land, sea and air timelines.
Dunkirk Production
Produces Dunkirk with Emma Thomas.
Dunkirk Screenplay
Writes the screenplay for Dunkirk using a compressed structure built around three different time scales.
2018
Academy Award Nomination for Dunkirk
Receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Dunkirk.
Dunkirk Academy Awards
Dunkirk wins Academy Awards for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.
2001: A Space Odyssey 70mm Presentation
Works with Warner Bros. on an unrestored 70mm presentation of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Best Picture Nomination for Dunkirk
Receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture as a producer of Dunkirk.
2020
Tenet Theatrical Release
Supports a large-scale theatrical release for Tenet during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of cinema exhibition.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.