Fresh from their triumph at the Oscars earlier this month with “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, will receive a knighthood and damehood respectively for their services to film. The honor was personally approved by Britain’s King Charles III.
Co-chief executive officer of Netflix Ted Sarandos will also be honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the creative industries. The honor is one of the highest that can be awarded in the U.K.
Traditionally, the honors are awarded in person by a senior member of the Royal Family during an investiture ceremony.
Nolan was previously awarded the CBE in 2019 for his services to film. He won his first best director Oscar for “Oppenheimer,” which follows the story of the father of the first atomic bomb. Thomas produced the film, which received 13 Academy Award nominations and took home seven awards earlier in March. Nolan has previously been nominated eight times in various categories for films including “Memento” and “Dunkirk.”
Nolan and Thomas have collaborated on all of the director’s major films, including “Inception,” “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight,” “Batman Begins” and “Tenet.” They also co-founded and run their production company Syncopy.
Sarandos joined Netflix in 2000 and has been responsible for content operations since, greenlighting shows including Emmy award winning series “The Crown.” He was appointed as co-chief executive officer in 2020, sharing the position with Greg Peters, who was formerly chief operating officer and chief product officer.
“The U.K.’s creative brilliance, quality craftsmanship and best in class production facilities make it an extraordinary place to invest,” Sarandos said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to be part of the creative community here and this is a real honor.”
Source Agencies
