The Academy Awards are known as Hollywood's biggest night, but there are some nominees from the northern part of the state who are hoping to win big at Sunday's Oscars ceremony.

Mahershala Ali: Ali was born in Oakland, grew up in Hayward and went to school at St. Mary's College in Moraga. He's nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in "Green Book." Ali plays Don Shirley, a world-class pianist who goes on a tour of the South with a white driver in the 1960s.

Ali's performance has been widely praised, while the film itself has received criticism for historical inaccuracies and "white savior" tendencies. But it's also been racking up awards, including Best Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes, where Ali took home the prize for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

In 2017, Ali became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar when he won for his supporting role in that year's Best Picture winner, "Moonlight."

Sam Rockwell: Best Actor in a Supporting Role is full of Bay Area representation, with the Daly City-born and San Francisco-raised Rockwell joining Ali. Rockwell is nominated for his take on former President George W. Bush in the Dick Cheney biopic, "Vice." He's the reigning winner in the category, taking home the prize last year for his role as a racist cop in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

Sam Elliott: Thought we were done with Best Actor in a Supporting Role? Think again.

Sacramento's Sam Elliott is nominated for his role in "A Star is Born." He plays Bobby Maine, the older brother and manager of the film's male lead, played by Bradley Cooper. This is the 74-year-old film and TV veteran's first Oscar nomination.

Pixar: Emeryville-based Pixar is looking to score a second straight win for Best Animated Feature with "Incredibles 2," the sequel to the beloved animated superhero film. It took home last year's award with "Coco."

It's also nominated in the Best Animated Short category for "Bao," the story of a mother, son and a dumpling that comes to life, which aired before "Incredibles 2" in theaters.

Lucasfilm: Not since the original 1977 "Star Wars" (also known as "Episode IV: A New Hope") has a Star Wars movie been nominated for Best Picture or received an acting nomination at the Oscars. But the franchise is a regular in the music, visual effects and editing categories, and the latest film in the intergalactic series, "Solo," is nominated for Visual Effects at this year's Oscars.

Industrial Light & Magic, a visual effects division within Lucasfilm, did the visual effects for "Solo," along with fellow nominees "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Ready Player One."

"Black Panther": Though the majority of the superhero movie takes place in the fictional African country of Wakanda, "Black Panther" includes a few scenes in Oakland, director Ryan Coogler's hometown. (The film also led to some real-life impacts in The Town.) The film is up for nominations in seven categories:

• Best Picture: Keven Feige, producer
• Production Design: Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart
• Sound Editing: Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
• Sound Mixing: Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
• Costume Design: Ruth Carter
• Original Score: Ludwig Goransson
• Original Song: "All the Stars," Music by Kendrick Lamar, Mark “Sounwave” Spears and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith; Lyrics by Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith

Overall, 2018 was a good year for Bay Area films and filmmakers, even the ones not nominated for Academy Awards. "Sorry to Bother You" and "Blindspotting" are both set in Oakland and received critical acclaim, along with lots of local and national attention. But no Oscar or Golden Globe nominations.

And here's the full list of nominees you can check out before the show tonight.