In 2000, Christopher Nolan had a “really awful” first brush with Hollywood. Two years later, he got the last laugh

In 2000, distributors rejected Christopher Nolan’s second film, *Memento*, at a screening in Los Angeles, with some reportedly walking out. The setback mattered because the film’s unusual, non-linear storytelling made it difficult to secure distribution, threatening the next step in Nolan’s career.

Its financier, Newmarket Films, ultimately released the film itself. Two years later, *Memento* won four of its five Independent Spirit Award nominations and earned Nolan and his brother Jonathan an Oscar nomination for original screenplay. The film grossed $43.3 million and helped establish Nolan in Hollywood; within five years, he was directing the Batman trilogy.