London: The British Film Institute is set to present its highest recognition, the BFI Fellowship, to Christopher Nolan in recognition of his ''enormous contribution to cinema as one of the world's most successful filmmakers''.
The announcement on Monday praised the ''Oppenheimer'' filmmaker for ''constantly pushing the limits of what large-scale filmmaking can be while retaining a reverence for the history of the medium and the primacy of cinemagoing''.
The BFI Fellowship will be presented to Nolan at the BFI Chair's Dinner in London on February 14, 2024, hosted by BFI Chair Tim Richards. This will be followed by an "In Conversation" event with Nolan on February 15 at the BFI Southbank theater and a special introduction to Nolan's 2020 sci-fi film ''Tenet'' at the BFI IMAX.
Nolan, known for movies such as ''Memento'', ''Batman'' series, ''Inception'' and ''Dunkirk'' said, "I am thrilled and honoured to be accepting a BFI Fellowship from an organisation so dedicated to preserving both cinema's history as well as its future." Richards said he was delighted to be honouring and recognising Nolan with a BFI Fellowship. ''Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century, creating hugely popular movies that have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. His movies are all made for the big screen to challenge and entertain audiences around the world. Christopher's commitment and support of the cinema industry is legendary,'' he said, praising the director for also working towards cinema preservation.
Nolan's most recent film, ''Oppenheimer'', starring Cillian Murphy as the eponymous physicist, has been a huge critical and commercial success, grossing nearly a billion dollars globally. Nolan will be joining the distinguished ranks of previous BFI Fellows which include names such as Satyajit Ray, David Lean, Bette Davis, Akira Kurosawa, Ousmane Sembène Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Orson Welles, Thelma Schoonmaker, Derek Jarman, Martin Scorsese, Yasujirō Ozu, Tilda Swinton, Barbara Broccoli, Michael G Wilson and Spike Lee.
—PTI
