History was created at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Christopher Nolan won his first Oscar for directing Oppenheimer. He surpassed Justine Treit (Anatomy of a Fall), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), and Jonathon Glazer (Zone of Interest) in the Best Director category. During his acceptance speech, the filmmaker said his first Oscar 'means the world to me'.

Christopher said in his acceptance speech, "I have so many people to thank. The most incredible cast, Matt Damon, Robert, Emily, Florence, just so many others, all at the top of their game, led by the incredible Cillian Murphy… a crew, some of whom have been awarded tonight. I can’t say enough about the incredible crew that we got together on this film. Thank you to Chuck Roven for putting the book in my hands… The incredible Emma Thomas, producer of all our films and all of our children. I love you. To the academy, just to say movies are just a little bit over 100 years old. I mean, imagine being there 100 years into painting or theater. We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think that I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me."

In the past, Christopher received five nominations, including nods for Memento (Screenwriting), Inception (Best Picture and Screenwriting), and Dunkirk (Best Picture and Directing).