Claim: Christopher Nolan is a director.

Christopher Edward Nolan -LRB- -LSB- ˈnoʊlən -RSB- born 30 July 1970 -RRB- is an English-American film director , screenwriter and producer . He is one of the highest-grossing directors in history , and among the most successful and acclaimed filmmakers of the 21st century .   Having made his directorial debut with Following -LRB- 1998 -RRB- , Nolan gained considerable attention for his second feature , Memento -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . The acclaim garnered by his independent films gave Nolan the opportunity to make the big-budget thriller Insomnia -LRB- 2002 -RRB- and the mystery drama The Prestige -LRB- 2006 -RRB- . He found further popular and critical success with The Dark Knight Trilogy -LRB- 2005 -- 2012 -RRB- ; Inception -LRB- 2010 -RRB- , for which he received a second Original Screenplay nomination and one for the Academy Award for Best Picture ; and Interstellar -LRB- 2014 -RRB- . His nine films have grossed over US$ 4.2 billion worldwide and garnered a total of 26 Oscar nominations and seven wins . Nolan has co-written several of his films with his younger brother , Jonathan , and runs the production company Syncopy Inc. with his wife , Emma Thomas .   Nolan 's films are rooted in philosophical , sociological and ethical concepts , exploring human morality , the construction of time , and the malleable nature of memory and personal identity . His body of work is permeated by materialistic perspectives , labyrinthine plots , nonlinear storytelling , practical special effects , and analogous relationships between visual language and narrative elements .