Oscar-nominated Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy has hailed the film's director as 'one in a million, a true legend, one of the greatest directors in the world'.
Murphy's plaudits came as he presented Nolan with the British Film Institute (BFI) Fellowship.
The honour was given to the British filmmaker, who is widely tipped to win an Oscar and a BAFTA for his epic about J Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist described as the father of the atomic bomb, at the annual BFI chairman's dinner.
He was handed the gong by Murphy, who plays the title role in Oppenheimer and who has been a collaborator for almost 20 years, appearing in the Dark Knight trilogy, Dunkirk and Inception.
The fellowship recognises Nolan’s "extraordinary achievements and enormous contribution to cinema as one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors", the BFI said.
Accepting the prize, Nolan paid tribute to his wife and producer Emma Thomas, saying: "I was asked if in all of those years fighting to shoot on film, did you ever feel alone doing that?
"I was able to say I did not because my producer Emma Thomas always saw things the same way I did in terms of the importance of the medium.
"So many people have helped me, so many people have been there for me, in so many different ways.
"I’m very moved to receive this, very moved by the presentation. This means the world to me."
Murphy hailed Nolan’s films as "unique, boundary-pushing, singular, provocative, ambitious and unforgettable", adding: "He is a one in a million, a true legend, one of the greatest directors in the world.
"It is a privilege of mine to know him, and to have worked with him so closely over the last 20 years. I have the utmost respect for him as an artist and a human being."
Also in attendance at the event at the Rosewood Hotel in London were actors Kenneth Branagh and Michael Caine, who have appeared in a string of Nolan’s films, Oppenheimer stars Josh Hartnett and Tom Conti and composer Hans Zimmer.
Source: Press Association
