Retrospectives and Honors:
Nilsson’s work has been honored with retrospectives at prestigious venues such as the Pacific Film Archives, Chicago Institute of Art, and Anthology Film Archives in New York. His films are archived by IndieCollect at UCLA as part of the Sundance Collection.

Awards Include:
·         Camera d’Or – Northern Lights (Cannes Film Festival, 1979), co-directed with John Hanson
·         Neil Simon Award – Northern Lights screenplay (1980)
·         Grand Prize – Heat and Sunlight (Sundance Film Festival, 1987)
·         Green Cine DIVX Film Festival Audience Award – Security (2005)
·         Milley Award – Achievement in the Arts (City of Mill Valley, 2006)
·         Filmmaker of the Year – Silver Lake Film Festival (2006)
·         Marlon Riggs Award – 9 @ Night Film Series (San Francisco Film Critics Circle, 2008)
·         Masters Award – Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Yerevan (2009)
·         Judges Special Citation Director – Sand (2010)
·         Judges Citation (Director) – The Steppes (Syracuse International Film Festival, 2011)

Retrospectives and Special Awards
·         Moscow International Film Festival Retrospective (2011)
·         Moscow Press Award – Russia Abroad Film Festival (2011)
·         Mill Valley Film Festival Award (2012)

Lifetime Achievement Awards
·         Mill Valley Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award
·         Fargo International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award
·         St. Louis International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award
·         Kansas City Filmmaker’s Jubilee Lifetime Achievement Award
·         Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Yerevan, Armenia – Master’s Award
·         Syracuse International Film Festival – Sophia Award
·         Love is Folly Film Festival, Varna, Bulgaria – Aphrodite Award