'Oppenheimer' director Christopher Nolan will receive a knighthood in the UK

LONDON - British American filmmaker Christopher Nolan, fresh from his Oscar victory for historical drama "Oppenheimer," will receive a knighthood from Britain for his "services to film."

His wife, film producer Emma Thomas, will receive a damehood, the female equivalent of a knighthood, the British government said Thursday in a list of honors recommended by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which also included Conservative politicians and tech industry leaders.

"Oppenheimer," a blockbuster biopic about the race to build the first atomic bomb, earned seven Academy Awards earlier this month, including the best picture trophy and Nolan's first best director win. His career includes other highly regarded films such as "Interstellar," "Inception", "Dunkirk" and the Batman trilogy.

'Oppenheimer': Oscar best picture winnerplays in Hiroshima to praise and unease

"Oppenheimer" scored seven Oscars wins, including when Nolan's acclaimed atomic-bomb thriller nabbed the night's highest including best picture at last month's 96th Academy Awards. " The film also won best director, actor (Cillian Murphy), supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.), film editing, score and cinematography.

The film made headlines when Oscar-winner Al Pacino presented the final award of the night, which is traditionally best picture. He opened the envelope, which appeared to be prematurely, and said calmly, "My eyes see 'Oppenheimer.'"

The third time was the charm on Oscars night for Downey, 58, who was previously nominated for “Chaplin” and “Tropic Thunder.” He won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his work in “Oppenheimer,” and also snagged wins at the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild awards ceremonies.

"Oppenheimer" premiered in Japan on Friday, eight months after a controversial grassroots marketing push and concerns about how its nuclear theme would be received in the only country to suffer from atomic bombing.

Japan had been left out of worldwide screenings until now, despite being a major market for Hollywood. American atomic bombs devastated the western city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the south at the close of World War II, killing more than 200,000 people.

Contributing: Irene Wong, Reuters; Brian Truitt, USA TODAY