Born on
July 30, 1970 in
London, Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is rapidly becoming well-known in the
film industry for his
prodigious achievements as a
writer and
director of dramatic
cinema.
Nolan's earliest films were shot with his father's
8mm video camera, and starred a variety of miniature
action figures. He continued to pursue his interests in cinema as he grew older, producing a
short film entitled
Tarantella while an
undergraduate at
University College in
London, where he studied
English literature. The short was aired in the
United States on
PBS's "
Image Union".
After teaming up with fellow
filmmaker Jeremy Theobald, Nolan produced several more shorts, and a full-length feature film entitled
Following, which won numerous
awards, including the
Rotterdam International Film Festival's Tiger Award and the
Slamdance Black & White Award.
Nolan's breakthrough into mainstream cinema occurred in 2000 with the release of
Memento, an innovative work of filmmaking known for its bizarre, "backwards" storytelling.
Memento, which starred
Guy Pearce and
Carrie-Anne Moss, was nominated for two
Academy Awards.
The
director's latest project, a critically acclaimed
suspense film entitled
Insomnia, stars
Al Pacino as a
detective determined to catch a
killer, played by
Robin Williams.
Complete Filmography
1989 -
Tarantella (short)
1996 -
Larceny (short)
199? -
Doodlebug (short)
1998 -
Following
2000 -
Memento
2002 -
Insomnia