Last week, we asked whether you’d prefer to watch a Hollywood movie or a lesser known, underground film. The votes were close. Luckily, the Academy Awards are just around the corner and that celebrates films made both independently and in Hollywood.
To get you in the spirit of the Oscars on February 28, catch up on as many films as you can that were filmed in the province and recognized by the Academy in the last two decades. (Let’s be honest: you feel a certain thrill when you’re watching a movie or television show and see a location you recognize.)
This weekend, start with the films from the 1990s and work your way to the Alberta-made film nominated in this year’s Academy Awards.
And be sure to vote in this week’s poll: new restaurant or established favourite?
Unforgiven
Year released: 1992
Director: Clint Eastwood
1993 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
Nine total, including Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Director.
1993 Academy Awards it won:
It was a big year for Clint Eastwood. He won Best Director and Best Picture for this movie. The film also won Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Film Editing.
The Alberta connections:
This movie was shot almost exclusively in Alberta. The crew stopped in several small towns including Brooks, Longview, Drumheller and High River.
Legends of the Fall
Year released: 1995
Director: Edward Zwick
1995 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
Legends of the Fall was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction (Set Decoration) and Best Sound
1995 Academy Awards it won:
The movie took home one Oscar: Best Cinematography.
The Alberta connections:
As well as British Columbia, filming took place in Alberta including near Banff, Ghost River and Calgary. The First World War battle scenes in this movie were shot near Morley.
When the Day Breaks
Year released: 1999
Director: Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
2000 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
The short was nominated for Best Animated Short.
The Alberta connections:
Tilby and Forbis are both from Alberta although they met at Vancouver’s Emily Carr College of Art + Design. (They relocated back to Calgary in 2003 and founded the Bleak Midwinter Film Festival in 2007.)
This animated short film – it’s just under 10 minutes long – was the directors’ first Academy Award nomination. The duo was also nominated for their short film Wild Life in 2012. While you’re at it, watch that one this weekend, too.
Brokeback Mountain
Year released: 2005
Director: Ang Lee
2006 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
Eight total, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
2006 Academy Awards it won:
Best Director, Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score).
The Alberta connections:
This movie was filmed in several locations across the province (and also in New Mexico.) Although the movie is set in Wyoming and Texas, filming was in the Kananaskis, Fort Macleod, Cowley, Crossfield and Irricana. Watch closely and you’ll probably recognize the Three Sisters.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Year released: 2007
Director: Andrew Dominik
2008 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
The movie was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Achievement in Cinematography.
The Alberta connections:
The film crew were in Calgary and the Kananaskis in 2005. Scenes were shot in the Baron’s Snooker Parlour at Heritage Park and in the Fairmont Palliser Hotel.
Inception
Year released: 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
2011 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
Eight total, including Best Picture, Best Writing (Original Screenplay) and Best Cinematography.
2011 Academy Awards it won:
The movie took home four Oscars in 2011. It won Best Cinematography, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Achievement in Sound Editing and Best Achievement in Visual Effects.
The Alberta connections:
Fortress Mountain is a popular location for filming. Filming took place all over the world for this film, but the crew made a stop in Kananaskis Country.
Interstellar
Year released: 2014
Director: Christopher Nolan
2015 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
Five total, including Best Achievement in Visual Effects and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.
2015 Academy Awards it won:
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
The Alberta connections:
Filming for this movie took place all over Alberta, including Nanton, Longview, Lethbridge, Fort Macleod and Okotoks. This movie is for anyone who likes space travel, mind-boggling physics or Matthew McConaughey.
The Revenant
Year released: 2016
Director: Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu
2016 Academy Awards it was nominated for:
12 total, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
2016 Academy Awards it won:
You’ll have to wait until Sunday. For now, it’s just predictions.
The Alberta connections:
This movie has been all over the news. You know it’s a revenge movie set in the 19th century wilderness. While filming also took place in BC, the USA and Argentina, it has a close connection to Alberta too. Scenes were filmed in Calgary, Canmore and Kananaskis’ Fortress Mountain.