It might not have been the biggest release of the year, but a Pacific Northwest-filmed movie won big in the nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards.
“Train Dreams,” which was filmed in Washington, landed four nominations: best picture, best adapted screenplay, best cinematography and best song, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.
An adaptation of a novella by the same name, “Train Dreams” stars Joel Edgerton as a seasonal laborer trying to make ends meet in early 20th-centry Washington and Idaho. Ultimately a meditation on life, the movie earned fans with its moving script and beautifully shot scenes of Pacific Northwest nature.
The movie, which also stars Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon and William H. Macy, was directed by Clint Bentley, who filmed in Spokane, Snoqualmie, Tekoa, Metaline Falls and Colville. It was based on a 2011 story by Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Denis Johnson.
“Train Dreams” was released in theaters on Nov. 7, 2025, before streaming on Netflix on Nov. 21. It has been a mainstay of awards season, earning nominations in several other award shows, including the Critics’ Choice Awards, where it won the best cinematography category.
Fans will have to wait until March 15, the night of the 98th Academy Awards, to find out whether the movie will take home any of the industry’s most coveted trophies.