Viggo Mortenson is nominated for Best Actor at Sunday’s Academy Awards for his role as Ben Cash in “Captain Fantastic”

The Academy Awards are this weekend and Washington State’s got skin in the game. Viggo Mortenson is up for Best Actor for his leading role as the eccentric patriarch at the heart of Captain Fantastic, a film set and gorgeously shot in the lush forests of Washington (locations include Gold Bar, Snohomish, Sultan, and Deception Pass) and created with help from the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program (MPCP) that we are fighting so hard to preserve.

Looking for a place to tune in on Sunday? Oscar parties abound. If treading gracefully across a red carpet appeals to you, Three Dollar Bill has you covered with their glitzy 12th Annual Academy Awards Party at the Egyptian Theater. TheFilmSchool offers a glamorous 9th Annual Oscar Gala at the Triple Door, complete with catered dinner and cocktail reception. And Central Cinema’s free viewing party might fit the bill if your budget is sub-Hollywood. Other events around the state include The Port Townsend Film Festival’s pre-Oscar event, an event at Tacoma’s Grand Cinema, and (after a 20-year run) the very last Vashon Film Society Oscar Night Gala.

Oscar competition this year is fierce, with Denzel Washington and Casey Affleck in contention, but Zach Sharf of IndieWire makes a compelling case for a Mortenson victory on Sunday, which we roundly endorse. Go Viggo!

And don’t forget to print out an Oscar ballot!