DENVER (KDVR) — Coloradans know a thing or two about filmmaking, with plenty of successful directors hailing from the state.

Rian Johnson, Jon Watts and Scott Derrickson have all found themselves at the helm of movies in massive franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. Meanwhile, David Fincher is a living, breathing, directing legend.

While not immediately associated with its film history, Colorado boasts some popular festivals, including the Denver Film Festival, Boulder Film Festival, Aspen’s Shortsfest and Telluride Film Festival. The prestigious Sundance Film Festival may also be expanding to Boulder in the near future.

Colorado’s film industry is on the rise, and rising alongside it is a new group of filmmakers who continue to carve out their role in the world of movies. Some of these filmmakers had a good year in 2024 and are among the talented artists nominated for an Oscar.

These filmmakers include:

Brady Corbet, Glenwood Springs — “The Brutalist”

“The Brutalist” is a bit of an unorthodox movie in an era where people prefer 30-second videos. The movie is three hours and 35 minutes long, including a 15-minute intermission, just like the old days.

The runtime has not taken away from its success and prestige. Nominated for a whopping 10 Oscars, the film has captured the heart of the film world.

It has been nominated in three of the major acting categories, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture, and for Corbet himself, a nomination for Best Director.

Chris Sanders, Colorado Springs — “The Wild Robot”

“The Wild Robot” comes from the same production company, Dreamworks Animation, that has brought the world films including:

“Shrek”

“How to Train Your Dragon”

“Kung Fu Panda”

“Madagascar”

The animated feature has been a hit with younger and older audiences alike. Plenty of packed theaters have likely sobbed in unison at the heartwarming movie directed by Sanders.

The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Sound and Best Original Score. It is considered the front-runner to win Best Animated Feature and will compete with “Inside Out 2” and “Flow,” according to Oscar predictions from Variety.

Paula DuPré Pesmen, Boulder — “Porcelain War”

It’s hard to call DuPré Pesmen someone on the rise as she has already captured her own Oscar once before. Her producing consistency has bagged her another nomination nearly 15 years after her maiden Best Documentary Feature win for “The Cove.”

This time around, DuPré Pesmen produced another documentary feature called “Porcelain War,” centered around Ukrainian artists’ lives during the war.

Her documentary is also considered to be the front-runner for the category and faces the stiffest competition from “No Other Land,” which is centered around another world conflict and tells the story of an alliance between an Israeli journalist and Palestinian activist.

Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai, Denver — “Anuja”

Likely the least expected film with the craziest production story on this list, “Anuja” proves that incredible stories can come from seemingly nowhere.

Graves is a professor of philosophy at Metropolitan State University Denver, and while he has a passion for film, it has not been at the forefront of his life.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, when he and his wife Mattai embarked on this film journey, they didn’t know if the short was only going to be watched by friends and family or if there was an audience out there waiting for it.

The couple co-wrote the short about child labor in India, where the film was also shot in Delhi.

After production finished, the couple sent the project to Mindy Kaling, a multi-faceted writer, producer, director and actor, who had developed a relationship with Mattai after asking to purchase one of her art pieces.

Kaling reportedly responded in 28 minutes after viewing the 22-minute film and agreed to help produce it. Later, the likes of Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas were also onboard producing, and the short has even been picked up by Netflix and is nominated for Best Short Film(Live Action).

The 97th Academy Awards are on March 2, at 5 p.m., and this group of Coloradans will be eagerly waiting to see if their names are called in the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.