Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s epic movie about the creation of the atomic bomb, swept the board at Sunday’s British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) film awards in London, delivering a serious statement ahead of next month’s Oscars.

The movie earned seven awards in total, including best film, best director for Nolan, best actor for Cillian Murphy, and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr.

In the film, Murphy plays J Robert Oppenheimer, the US theoretical physicist often called the “father of the atomic bomb”, who was haunted by the consequences of his creation.

The film has grossed more than US$1 billion, already won big at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards and is now the clear frontrunner for Oscars glory.

It was Murphy’s first BAFTA, and he thanked Nolan for “seeing something in me I probably didn’t see myself” when collecting the award at the ceremony in London’s Royal Festival Hall.

He later told reporters the success was “mind-blowing”, adding he was “thrilled and a little shocked”.

Despite boasting numerous commercial successes such as Inception and The Dark Knight,  Nolan had never won the best director BAFTA before.

It was Downey Jr’s second BAFTA, having won the best actor gong 31 years ago for playing Charlie Chaplin.

On accepting the award, the US star joked that Nolan advised he attempt an understated approach to the role of Lewis Strauss, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, in order to restore “my dwindling credibility”.

It was also a good night for surreal dark comedy Poor Things, which won five awards including best actress for Emma Stone, who also won the gong in 2017 for La La Land.