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Six times during next month's Oscar telecast, the world will see a little piece of Utah.
The true-life survival drama "127 Hours," which was both set in and shot in Utah, received six Academy Award nominations Tuesday, including one for Best Picture.
The movie stars James Franco as rock climber Aron Ralston, and depicts his harrowing ordeal in May 2003 when he was pinned by a boulder in Utah's Bluejohn Canyon — leading him to cut off his arm to escape.
It's exciting to see the film get six nominations, said Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission. Moore singled out the movie's director and co-writer, Danny Boyle, saying the accolades are "a tribute to him that there were these nominations for a film that without him wouldn't have been made."
Boyle wasn't nominated for best director, an award he won two years ago for "Slumdog Millionaire," but shares an adapted-screenplay nomination with Simon Beaufoy.
"127 Hours" also was nominated for Franco's performance, for A.R. Rahman's original score and his song, "If I Rise" (lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong), and for Jon Harris' film editing.
Dave Cummins, head of digital mastering at Salt Lake City post-production shop Cosmic Pictures, was the digital lab supervisor for Harris and his editing team. Working on the film was a great experience, Cummins said, if "a little intimidating at first to sit down with Danny and Anthony Dod [Mantle, the cinematographer]. But Danny's really accessible and down to earth."
Cummins and his team processed the data from the film shoot's digital cameras, and prepared them for editing. It's the sort of work usually done at post-production houses in Los Angeles.
"Producers think Utah is a location state, with the red rocks," Cummins said. "They come, they shoot and they leave. Now it can also be known as a post-production state."
Oscar recognition helps Utah filmmaking in the long run, Moore said, because "when other producers, directors and production companies consider Utah, [they know] that 90 percent of the people who backed up Danny came from here."
Of course, Utah tourism officials are thrilled about the nominations, which serve as "the biggest billboards" in promoting the state, said Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. "We know that from the John Wayne movies of the past and others since."
Von der Esch was reminded again of the tourism draw of movies at a weekend Sundance Film Festival event where actor Geena Davis referenced 1991's "Thelma and Louise," which was partly filmed in Utah. "Women still tell her they want to go to the places they saw in "Thelma and Louise," von der Esch said.
The Oscar nominations for "127 Hours" should lead to more interest from tourists, with the next wave coming when the DVD is released March 1. One of the extras is a segment about the search for Ralston and his rescue. "We will be able to track the benefits of this movie indefinitely," von der Esch said.
For producer Christian Colson, the nominations have a more immediate impact: getting people to see the movie. "If you get six nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor — I'd go see that movie," Colson said in a statement. "So I think it's enormously important for the film."
To Hollywood handicappers, Boyle's movie may be considered a longshot for Oscar glory on Feb. 27.
The front-runners for Best Picture represent a battle between Hollywood's old guard and young hipsters. The British royal story "The King's Speech" earned a leading 12 nominations; Facebook drama "The Social Network" tied with twisty thriller "Inception" with eight nominations. The dark horse in the Oscar race is the Coen brothers' Western "True Grit," which received 10 nominations, including one for the cinematography of British-born Roger Deakins, a Park City resident. ("True Grit" was filmed in New Mexico, after the Utah Film Commission tried unsuccessfully to lure the production to Utah.)
Two movies that played at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival also made the Best Picture nominees: The lesbian family comedy "The Kids Are All Right" and the Ozarks mystery "Winter's Bone." Each received four nominations.
Reporter Brett Prettyman contributed to this story.
Got 127 hours to spare?
Riding the success of "127 Hours," the Utah Office of Tourism has created 127 hourlong itineraries for visitors.
> travel.utah.gov/127hours
For more Oscar analysis, check out movie critic Sean P. Means' Movie Cricket blog. > sltrib.com/blogs/moviecricket
The 83rd-annual Academy Awards will be telecast live on ABC, KTVX, Ch. 4 in Utah on Sunday, Feb. 27. Nominees in the leading categories for the 83rd Academy Awards:
Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg , "The Social Network"
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"
Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"
Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"
Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
Natlaie Portman, "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
Jackie Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"
Directing
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
David O. Russel, "The Fighter"
Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Joel and Ethan Coen, "True Grit"
Best Picture
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"Inception"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The King's Speech"
"127 Hours"
"The Social Network"
"Toy Story 3"
"True Grit"
"Winter's Bone"