Nutley began his career in British television as a graphic designer. He then turned to drama and documentary filmmaking for
ITV,
BBC, and
Channel 4. He directed the first two episodes of children's television series
Press Gang, but was unhappy with the final edit and asked for his name to be removed from the credits. He was the driving force behind
Southern Television's ITV-networked children's series
The Flockton Flyer, taking personal responsibility for much of the casting and acting as a producer of the first series (1977) before producing and directing the second series (1978). Nutley's work in
Sweden began with the making of
Annika, a TV series about a Swedish girl who spent three weeks on England's
Isle of Wight as a language student. Then came the documentary
Where Roses Never Die, a film about life in a small Swedish country village which was also the inspiration for
House of Angels. His first feature
The Ninth Company was a
black comedy, the story of a group of young
conscripts that tries to make a smart economic killing.
Blackjack, was about love and betrayal in a small town, set against the backdrop of dance-music bands.
House of Angels opened in 1992 and is to date one of the most loved Swedish films of all time. The film was awarded two
Guldbagge Awards for "Best Film" and "Best Direction" at the
Swedish Film Awards that year.
The Last Dance was a black comedy about a rollercoaster friendship between two big city couples, and won "Best Actress" and "Best Photography" awards at the
1993 Swedish Film Awards.
House of Angels – the Second Summer opened on Christmas Day
1994 and was an immediate box office success.
Such Is Life, a drama comedy about love, broken promises and fulfilled dreams, opened in Sweden in October
1996.
Under the Sun, a story about trust, friendship and love set in the mid-1950s, opened on Christmas Day
1998 and
Gossip, starring an ensemble cast of ten of Sweden's top actresses, opened all over Sweden on Christmas Day
2000.
Deadline (
2001) and
Paradise (
2003) were both based on
Liza Marklund's best-selling novels. ''
The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004) was an English language film set in post war England in the 1950s. Heartbreak Hotel'' opened in 2006 and Nutley's latest feature
Angel in 2008.
House of Angels,
The Last Dance and
Under the Sun have all been nominated by the
Swedish Film Institute to represent Sweden as Best Foreign Language Film at the
Academy Awards (1993, 1994 and 1999).
House of Angels was screened out of competition at the
1992 Cannes Film Festival.
Under the Sun was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and also received the Special Jury Prize at the
San Sebastian Film Festival. ==Personal life==