The Odyssey's David Keighley Tribute Explained

Universal Pictures

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is an epic film in every sense of the word, and it required the efforts of dozens of cast and crew members. Due to the movie's lengthy runtime of 173 minutes, the end credit roll of "The Odyssey" is double-sided and moves at a pretty rapid clip. There's one name that stands out in particular, however, getting a single card in the middle of the roll that reads, "For our friend, David Keighley." 

Now, End credit tributes are extremely common, yet this one has a special place beyond the usual. That's because Keighley, who passed away in September 2025, was the Chief Quality Officer of the IMAX corporation for 15 years and was involved with the premium large format long before even that. In a very real way, the brilliance, fidelity, and uniqueness of IMAX is thanks in large part to his efforts. He's why an IMAX ticket is often worth the extra few dollars and why so many preeminent filmmakers (including and especially Nolan) make it a point to shoot their movies for IMAX specifically.

If you've ever stayed through the entire end credits of a film projected in IMAX, then you're familiar with Keighley's work, even if you aren't aware of it. Every IMAX release ends with a message that reads, "Quality Counts," and it explains how you can send your comments about your IMAX experience to the Chief Quality Officer via email. Apparently, Keighley would thoughtfully reply to every email he received, which was just one of the ways he sought to make IMAX special. Given the fact that "The Odyssey" is the first narrative motion picture to ever be fully shot with IMAX cameras, it's fitting that Nolan dedicates the film to Keighley's memory.

Universal Pictures

To be fair, "Chief Quality Officer" sounds like a made-up job that a CEO might give to a relative or friends so they can get a free ride. Yet, this wasn't anything close to the case with David Keighley, who took the position seriously. That's partially due to his lifelong interest in large format filmmaking and exhibition, as he and his wife Patricia were captivated by an IMAX film, "North of Superior," in 1971. The following year, the couple formed the post-production company David Keighley Productions, which focused on large format work. After co-directing an IMAX film of their own ("Catch the Sun"), the Keighleys maintained a relationship with the company, with David personally approving every IMAX film print that went through DKP's labs. In 1988, DKP was officially brought into the IMAX family, and Keighley working in-house is what helped lead to IMAX expanding further into narrative studio films. 

David Keighley became a mentor to Christopher Nolan in that regard, as Nolan recalled in a tribute to Keighley upon his passing: 

"His expertise and collaborative spirit put IMAX cameras into my hands for the first time and opened Hollywood's eyes to the power of the format, starting with 'The Dark Knight.'"

It's no secret that Nolan has been a proponent of shooting IMAX film ever since "The Dark Knight," and, apparently, Keighley was heavily involved in supervising the post-production process on both Nolan's films and other IMAX movies like Ryan Coogler's "Sinners." Although Keighley passed away before "The Odyssey" was fully complete, he was still able to finish reviewing its dailies. As such, the film is both a literal and figurative tribute to his work and lifelong support of IMAX.

"The Odyssey" is currently playing in theaters.