BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) Momentum is building for Sunday night's Oscars. The Queen city may not have a starring role, but it does hold a supporting role in the coveted Best Picture category.
Nightmare Alley, a Guillermo Del Torro film, was shot partly in Buffalo in 2020. It's one of ten films nominated for Best Picture.
"Very subtly, throughout the movie, you see different interior and exterior shots of our great city," said Tim Clark, Executive Director of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.
Nightmare Alley is considered an underrated Oscar nominee. The film set in the 1940's stars actors such as Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett, and features some key Buffalo landmarks like City Hall, Niagara Square and Karpeles Museum.
Just getting a nomination is a win in its own right. It gives the film more buzz and provides another bounce at the box office. "People who missed it, want to see what the buzz is about," added Clark.
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In addition to Best Picture, the film is Oscar-nominated for Production Design, Costume Design and Cinematography.
Hollywood insiders say the battle for Best Picture is a two-film race; The Power of the Dog and CODA. Both were offered on streaming services.
Other contenders are Belfast, Don't Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, and West Side Story.
This is the first year back for the Oscars, post-Covid. There will be an audience and hosts. While the movie experience has changed due to so many films being released to streaming, Clark think the theater experience will return.
"I think going to a theater to see a movie is really a communal experience. I think we were forced to stay home and stream the last couple of years, but I think going to the theater will bounce back with the pandemic in the rear view mirror," he said.
The Oscars will be held on Sunday, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ABC.
Many Western New Yorkers are familiar with a different movie shoot around Buffalo last Summer. We asked Clark for an update on the Cabrini movie, the story of Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants, produced by three-time Academy Award winner Jonathan Sanger.
"The movie looks outstanding," noted Clark. "There were so many background extras in that movie. We expect that to be released to theaters later this year and I'm sure there will be some sort of special screening in Western New York for all of the people who participated."