After being nominated five times in previous years without success, Christopher Nolan, one of Britain’s most renowned film exports, finally secured his first-ever British Film Academy honours by winning two out of three possible awards.

Nolan, celebrated for his prolific and distinguished career, triumphed at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, breaking what some admirers had affectionately dubbed a “curse.” Despite his previous nominations, including three for his 2010 blockbuster Inception, Nolan had never before claimed a BAFTA trophy. In 2010, Inception lost the best film category to The King’s Speech, while David Fincher won best director for The Social Network, and David Seidler took home best original screenplay for The King’s Speech.

In 2018, Nolan was again a nominee for best picture and director for his 2017 film Dunkirk. However, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was awarded best film, and Guillermo del Toro won best director for The Shape of Water.

This year, Nolan arrived at the BAFTA awards ceremony with three nominations for his film Oppenheimer, bringing his total career BAFTA nominations to eight. The biographical epic led the nominations with a total of 13.

While Cord Jefferson received the adapted screenplay award early in the ceremony for American Fiction, Nolan later claimed the best director honour. The evening culminated in Nolan winning a second trophy for best film.