KGO-CHANNEL 7 (SAN FRANCISCO) -- When the world tunes in to watch the 92nd Academy Awards this Sunday, movie makers from around the world will award Oscars for the incredible work. But this year’s Oscar Awards features a number of nominees with ties to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Steven Zaillian, Writing, Adapted Screenplay, “The Irishman”
The screenwriter/director/producer attended Sonoma State University but graduated from San Francisco State in 1975 with a degree in Cinema because he wanted to “live in San Francisco.” He previously won an Oscar for the screenplay for “Schindler’s List.” He received Oscar nomination for writing “Gangs of New York,” “Moneyball” and “Awakenings.” He lives in Los Angeles now with his wife and two kids.
Josh Cooley (director), Mark Nielsen (producer) and Jonas Rivera, Animated Feature Film, “Toy Story 4”
Cooley was born in Berkeley in 1979 and grew up in Livermore. He started at Emeryville’s Pixar Studios as an intern in 2004 and worked his way up to be one of its top filmmakers.
Rivera was born in Castro Valley and graduated from San Francisco State with a degree in film production. He was the school’s commencement speaker in 2016. He joined Pixar in 1994. Nielsen graduated from Chico State and joined Pixar in 1996.