Wyoming at the Oscars: Five Academy Award Winning Movies Filmed in the Cowboy State
Hot on the heels of the 88th Academy Awards, here's five legendary Oscar winning movies that were filmed, or set, in the great state of Wyoming.
1. Shane - This 1953 western follows a gunslinger who settles in the Cowboy State after the Civil War. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Unfortunately, it only took home one Oscar, winning for Best Screenplay.
2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - This 1977 sci-fi classic famously depicted Devils Tower National Monument as a hotbed for UFOs. It scored seven nominations at the 50th Academy Awards, winning for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing.
3. Dances With Wolves - This 1990 western follows a soldier who encounters a group of Lakota while traveling across the western frontier. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Kevin Costner).
4. Brokeback Mountain - This 2005 western follows two men who meet while working as sheepherders in Wyoming. It was nominated for eight Oscars, winning three Academy Awards for Best Director (Ang Lee), Best Screenplay and Best Original Score.
5. Django Unchained - Although this 2012 spaghetti western was set in the south, several of its scenes were filmed near Grand Teton National Park. It was nominated for five Oscars, winning for Best Supporting Actor (Christolph Waltz) and Best Director (Quentin Tarantino).
Although it didn't win an Oscar, 2013's Nebraska, parts of which were filmed in Buffalo, Wyoming, was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Bruce Dern).
One of this year's big winners, The Revenant, wasn't set or filmed in Wyoming, but has strong ties to the Cowboy State. Michael Punke, author of the 2002 novel that the film was based on, was born and raised in Torrington.