March 15, 2026, 11:27 a.m. ET
Brad Pitt’s Formula One racing movie “F1” snagged four nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards, including for the highly coveted Best Picture Oscar alongside blockbuster hits “Sinners,” “Frankenstein” and “Marty Supreme.”
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film grossed over $630 million in 2025, with various scenes filmed in Florida, including at the iconic Daytona International Speedway and a popular New Smyrna Beach restaurant.
But “F1” is not the only nominated film with a strong Florida connection.
“The Perfect Neighbor,” a Netflix documentary about the 2023 fatal shooting of Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens in Ocala, Florida, is nominated for “Documentary Feature Film.” The film received 16.7 million views in the first three days after being released in October 2025.
The 98th annual Academy Awards are at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15, 2026.
Fans and film lovers can watch the Oscars ceremony on their local ABC station or stream live on Hulu.
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The Florida scenes of the movie were filmed in 2024 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and at Pappas Drive-In & Family Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach, which was destroyed by an overnight fire last March.
Of course, other parts were shot in Hungary, the UK, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Japan and Las Vegas, according to IMDb, but still, we were in there.
Other racing scenes were shot during F1 practice ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, and the 2024 British Grand Prix.
“F1” starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, with scenes filmed in the Sunshine State, is nominated for four Oscars:
Ten films were nominated by the Academy for the accolade of “Best Picture.” Here are the 2026 nominees:
According to IMDb, the “F1” features:
“F1” is streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Fandango at Home.
Contributing: Lianna Norman, Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida
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