The 2011 TIME 100 Poll

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes that you think are the most influential people in the world. Though official voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list has now closed (with Rain as the 2011 readers' choice), users can continue to vote for their favorites until the final list, selected by our editors, is revealed on Thursday, April 21st

TIME 100 Candidates

Christopher Nolan

By TIME StaffMonday, Apr. 04, 2011
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Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Age: 40
Occupation: Director
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0

It's likely that film historians will look back at 2010's Inception — with its enigmatic plot and dream-within-a-dream imagery — as a pivotal point in Hollywood filmmaking. Director Christopher Nolan has told stories backward (Memento) and breathed new life into the Batman franchise (The Dark Knight). To see his influence, one need only look at the marquee of any multiplex in America and to how many films emulate the cinematic language Nolan has established.

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