Sacramento is rooting for a win behind Lady Bird's five 2018 Oscar nominations as the 90th Academy Awards gets ready to roll out the red carpet.
The coming-of-age film directed by homegrown Greta Gerwig not only captured the hearts of Sacramentans, but film critics and movie-goers alike with no connection to the Capitol City.
ABC10 has been following the Lady Bird excitement from the start and watched the movie evolve from local anticipation to national praise.
Here's a guide to everything you need to know to prepare for the big night which airs live Sunday, March 4.
1. Sacramento had no idea how truly big Lady Bird would be. We knew there was a film set and shot in Sacramento and some of us even saw the film crew around town, but no one outside the film industry was prepared for Sacramento to make the spotlight over the little-movie-that-could.
2. Greta Gerwig is no newbie. The Sacramento native nailed her first directorial debut but has been an actress in 25 films and a co-writer on five others.
3. While Gerwig claims Lady Bird is not a true autobiography, the movie pulls inspiration from her life growing up in Sacramento. The film is loosely based off Gerwig's own upbringing as a student at Sacramento's St. Francis High School, an all-girls Catholic school. In fact, Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson's boyfriend, Danny O'Neill is based off Gerwig's high school boyfriend, Connor Mickiewicz. The two dated while at Jesuit and St. Francis High Schools, respectively.
4. Other Sacramentans got to be part of the Lady Bird action. An aspiring teen filmmaker, a senior at Jesuit High School, was offered a minor role on the set of the movie during filming.
5. Sacramento is so proud of Lady Bird, that walking and running tours featuring locations seen on the film are now being offered to local and tourists eager to explore the Fab 40s neighborhood, the "blue house," Club Raven, and McKinley Park Rose Garden seen on the big screen.
6. Few people in the city are more excited about Lady Bird's Oscar nominations than the students at Gerwig's old stomping grounds, St. Francis High School. Gerwig is an inspiration to the students with her success post-high school, but her movie itself is also endearing to the girls because of how relatable it is. The school is hosting a viewing party for the Oscars on the night of the show.
7. Laurie Metcalf has won three Emmys and a Tony Award in her nearly 40-year year career, but Lady Bird helped the veteran get her first shot at an Oscar. Metcalf is nominated for best supporting actress, although she's already received supporting actress nods from the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Awards.
8. Lady Bird's success may lead to more movies filmed in Sacramento. The film has sparked inquiries from other filmmakers not from the area.
Here is a full list of the Oscars 2018 nominees.
