Cillian Murphy presents BFI Fellowship to Christopher Nolan – The Hollywood Reporter

Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy

Courtesy BFI/Dave Bennett

Presented by Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer Director Christopher Nolan received a Fellowship from the BFI, the BFI’s highest honor, on Wednesday evening at a dinner in London hosted by BFI President Tim Richards.

“The BFI Fellowship recognizes Nolan’s exceptional achievements and enormous contribution to cinema as one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors,” the organization said.

Nolan received the honor at the BFI’s annual President’s Dinner at the Rosewood Hotel in central London. Murphy, who has worked with Nolan on films such as… The Dark Knight triple, beginning, DunkirkAnd Oppenheimerwas in attendance alongside film industry guests such as NBCUniversal Studio Group President and Chief Content Officer Donna Langley, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thomas, Michael Caine, Josh Hartnett, Hans Zimmer, Hoyt van Hoytema, Barbara Broccoli, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, and Gurinder Chadha. , Misan Harriman, Molly Manning-Walker, BFI CEO Ben Roberts, in addition to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser.

Past BFI Fellows include the likes of Bette Davis, Akira Kurosawa, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Orson Welles, Thelma Schoonmaker, Martin Scorsese, Tilda Swinton, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and Spike Lee.

“I’ve been asked if all those years when you were struggling to film, did you ever feel alone while doing it? I was able to say I didn’t because my producer Emma Thomas saw things the same way I did,” Nolan said while accepting the honor. I always saw it in terms of the importance of the medium.” “A lot of people have helped me, a lot of people have been there for me, in many different ways. I was very touched to receive this, and very impressed with the presentation. “It means the world to me.”

Presenting the BFI Fellowship to Nolan, Murphy said: “For the past 25 years, Christopher Nolan has been making films that are unique, boundary-pushing, unique, provocative, ambitious and unforgettable. He is one in a million, a true legend, one of the greatest directors in the world. “The world. It is an honor to know him, and to work closely with him over the past twenty years. I have the utmost respect for him as an artist and a human being.”

Richards described Nolan as “one of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century,” saying he “makes films that captivate audiences around the world, generate billions at the box office, and win critical acclaim and awards.” He added: “Christopher’s passion as a filmmaker is matched by his commitment to celluloid conservation through his involvement with the Film Foundation and his own support through the Morph Foundation for the BFI’s photochemical work. In doing so, current and future audiences will be able to continue to enjoy and learn from our history.” Incredibly rich in cinema for many years to come.