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Narrative

Based on the beloved novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe-nominee Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Academy Award-nominee Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.

An ode to a vanishing way of life, an ever-evolving world, and to the extraordinary possibilities that exist within even the most simple of existences, Train Dreams captures a time and place that are now long gone, and the people who built a bridge to a future they could only dream of. Directed by Academy Award-nominee Clint Bentley with a screenplay by Bentley and Academy Award-nominee Greg Kwedar, the writing team behind Sing Sing, the film also stars Academy Award-nominees William H. Macy and Kerry Condon.

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Awards
Credits
Academy Awards
NOMINEE
Best PictureMarissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler, Producers
Best Adapted ScreenplayClint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
Best Original SongTrain Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave
Critics Choice Awards
WINNER
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
NOMINEE
Best Picture
Best ActorJoel Edgerton
Best Adapted ScreenplayClint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Best Song“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner
Film Independent Spirit Awards
WINNER
Best Feature
Best DirectorClint Bentley
Best Cinematography
NOMINEE
Best Lead PerformanceJoel Edgerton
American Film Institute Awards
WINNER
AFI Motion Pictures of the Year
National Board of Review Awards
WINNER
Best Adapted Screenplay
Top 10 Films
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
WINNER
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
Chicago Indie Critics Awards
WINNER
Best Independent FilmProducers: Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler
Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards
WINNER
Best Original Score for an Independent FilmBryce Dessner
Golden Globe Awards
NOMINEE
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - DramaJoel Edgerton
Best Original Song - Motion Picture"Train Dreams" / Music by: Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner / Lyrics by: Nick Cave
Gotham Film Awards
NOMINEE
Best Feature
Best Adapted ScreenplayClint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
BAFTA Film Awards
NOMINEE
CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
PGA Awards
NOMINEE
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
Artios Awards
NOMINEE
Feature: Studio or Independent: DramaAvy Kaufman, Location Casting Director: Nike Imoru
ASC Awards
NOMINEE
Theatrical Feature FilmAdolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP
WGA Awards
NOMINEE
Adapted ScreenplayScreenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Based on the Novella by Denis Johnson
Austin Film Critics Association Awards
NOMINEE
Best Picture
Best Adapted ScreenplayClint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Denis Johnson
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital PerformanceWill Patton
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
NOMINEE
Best Picture
Best ActorJoel Edgerton
Best Adapted ScreenplayClint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
Best Original ScoreBryce Dessner
London Film Critics Circle Awards
NOMINEE
Film of the Year
Technical Achievement of the YearCinematography, Adolpho Veloso
Phoenix Critics Circle Awards
NOMINEE
Best Actor in a Lead RoleJoel Edgerton
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
NOMINEE
Best ActorJoel Edgerton
Best Adapted ScreenplayClint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Best CinematographyAdolpho Veloso
USC Scripter Awards
NOMINEE
Film AdaptationScreenwriters Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar; based on the novella “Train Dreams” by Denis Johnson