Marshalltown Native's Movie Nabs Four Oscar Nominations

The 98th Academy Awards nominations have been announced, and the ceremony is set for March 15th, 2026. I call it the best Sunday of the year. It's a meteoric night for a lot of great movies. As a film lover too, it's one of the only nights many people even consider the oft-underappreciated elements that make films great, such as cinematography, editing, costume design, and more.

I'll be frank and say when it came down to the ten Best Picture nominees, the Academy voters chose the films I overwhelmingly expected them to: Bugonia, One Battle After Another, Sinners. All tremendous movies for which you should make time. The big surprise to myself and, from what I gather, many others, however, was one of the best blockbusters of the year. And it was directed by a local boy.

Jeff Spicer, Getty Images

Meet Joseph Kosinski:

It's time we learn his name. Joseph Kosinski has been one of the best blockbuster directors for a hot-minute now. Even before Top Gun: Maverick exceeded the expectations of the masses, he was making cinematic bangers. One of my favorites from him was Only the Brave, a which tells the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an accomplished group of firefighters who fought the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona in 2013. Starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, and some of the best actors working today, the film was profoundly emotional and impeccably filmed, no small feat given the large scale on which its story exists.

51-year-old Kosinski, who was born and raised in Marshalltown, IA, saw Top Gun: Maverick get a plethora of Oscar nominations in 2022. This year, his latest film, F1, starring Brad Pitt, merited four: Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.

Just a Kid from Marshalltown, IA:

The son of a doctor, and an Illinois native mother, Kosinski attended Marshalltown High School, graduating in 1992. From there, he studied mechanical engineering at Stanford, and architecture at Columbia. That suggested a career path far different from the one in which he ended up. However, in the early aughts, he began experimenting with computer graphics, and later, computer-generated imagery (CGI).

He found himself a job not only working on the visual effects for Tron: Legacy in 2010, but directing the project as well. Prior to Top Gun: Maverick, his first collaboration with Tom Cruise was the sci-fi film Oblivion in 2013. My guess is Cruise, who loves doing his own stunts, valued Kosinski's eye for grandscale set-pieces coupled with his cerebral handling of digital effects. It was a match made in heaven.

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F1 is a Movie Worth Your Time:

All that being said, F1 is a total blast, and probably the only blockbuster this year that could justify a Best Picture nod. It brings you inside Formula 1 racing, and the delicate yet ferociously powerful racing machines that make the sport globally popular. At present, it's available to rent on multiple platforms.

Read more about Marshalltown, IA native Joseph Kosinski, the man behind the Oscar-nominated film F1, on his Wikipedia page.