5 Oscar-nominated films that were set in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On Tuesday, “The Barber of Little Rock” was Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Short.

The documentary is the 11th film set in Arkansas that was nominated for an Oscar.

Here are some of the other films that were previously nominated for Oscars that were set in Arkansas:

Hallelujah (1929)

“Hallelujah” was a musical that featured an all-Black cast and was one of the earliest Hollywood feature films shot in Arkansas, according to Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

IMDB describes the plot of the musical, “A sharecropper decides to become a preacher after falling for a vamp from the city.”

Director King Vidor was nominated for Best Director for the film.

‘The Barber of Little Rock’ documentary nominated for Oscar

Gone with the Wind (1939)

“Gone with the Wind” was a historical romance film adapted from the 1936 book of the same title written by Margaret Mitchell. The film starred Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh.

IMDB says the plot of the film was, “A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.”

“Gone with the Wind” was nominated for 14 Oscars, winning nine of them. Both were records at the time.

The Old Mill located in North Little Rock was made famous by appearing in the opening credits of the film.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

“Smokey and the Bandit” was an action comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field.

Director Hal Needham got the idea for the film after hearing someone at a party mention that bringing Coors beer east of the Mississippi River was considered bootlegging, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas said.

The movie was nominated for Film Editing but lost to “Star Wars.”

True Grit (2010)

Adapted from a novel written by Charles Portis, “True Grit” was set in western Arkansas in the 1870s. The 2010 version of the film starred Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn and followed the plot of the book more than the 1969 adaptation, according to CALS.

The movie was the first motion picture role for Hailee Steinfeld, who played Mattie Ross.

The film was nominated for 10 awards but did not win any.

‘True Grit Trail’ expanding into Oklahoma

Minari (2020)

Filmed in Tulsa, Okla. but based in Arkansas, “Minari” tells the story of a Korean family that moved from California to rural Arkansas in hopes that a father can establish himself as a vegetable farmer, CALS said.

The film is based on the family experiences of writer/director and Arkansas native Lee Isaac Chung.

“Minari” was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. Yuh-Jung Youn won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Other films set in Arkansas that were nominated for Oscars were “True Grit” (1969), “Thelma & Louise” (1991), “Sling Blade” (1996), “Walk the Line” (2005) and “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” (2011).

Of those five, two won awards. “Thelma & Louise” was nominated for six and won one and “Walk the Line” was nominated for five and won one.

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