Gorham native Eric Saindon could win his second Oscar for visual effects, after being nominated Thursday for his work on “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

Saindon won an Oscar in 2023 as senior visual effects supervisor on “Avatar: The Way of the Water.” He attended the ceremony that year in Hollywood despite intense abdominal pain, and was rushed to a hospital immediately after the Oscars for surgery to repair a ruptured intestine. He was in so much pain, he told the Press Herald later, he did not remember holding up the Oscar at all, though photos show he clearly did.

Saindon was also nominated for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” in 2014 and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” in 2013. He did not win the Oscar either time.  

The other films nominated for the visual effects Oscar on Thursday inlcuded: “F1,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “The Lost Bus” and “Sinners.”

After graduating from Gorham High School in 1988, Saindon took community college classes, and later studied architecture at Washington State University. He got a job out of college at a company that made animation software.

After that, he worked at the animation company Santa Barbara Studios in California. In 1999, he went to work at Weta Digital in New Zealand – now Weta FX – and worked his way up to senior visual effects supervisor. He’s been at Weta ever since and lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with his wife and four children.

“Come See Me in the Good Light,” about Maine-born poet Andrea Gibson, was nominated for an Oscar in the feature-length documentary category. Gibson, who grew up in Calais, was a celebrated poet and performance artist who explored gender identity and politics.

Gibson died in July after a four-year battle with terminal ovarian cancer, at the age of 49, at their home in Boulder, Colorado. Gibson and their wife, Megan Falley, are the main subjects of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” which won the Festival Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival and is streaming on Apple TV+. The film explores the couple’s enduring love as Gibson battles cancer.

The other nominees in the documentary category include: “The Alabama Solution,” “Cutting through Rocks,” “Mr. Nobody against Putin” and “The Perfect Neighbor.”

The Oscars will be given out March 15, live on ABC, with Conan O’Brien hosting. Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best picture

“Bugonia”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”

Actress in a leading role

Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone, “Bugonia”

Actor in a leading role

Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”

Actress in a supporting role

Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”
Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”

Actor in a supporting role

Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”
Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”

Directing

Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”

Adapted screenplay

“Bugonia,” Will Tracy
“Frankenstein” Guillermo del Toro
“Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
“One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“Train Dreams,” Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar

Original screenplay

“Blue Moon,” Robert Kaplow
“It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi
“Marty Supreme,” Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein
“Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
“Sinners,” Ryan Coogler

Documentary feature

“The Alabama Solution”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cutting through Rocks”
“Mr. Nobody against Putin”
“The Perfect Neighbor”

Documentary short

“All the Empty Rooms”
“Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud”
“Children No More: “Were and Are Gone””
“The Devil Is Busy”
“Perfectly a Strangeness”

Animated feature

“Arco”
“Elio”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”

Animated short

“Butterfly”
“Forevergreen”
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
“Retirement Plan”
“The Three Sisters”

Cinematography

“Frankenstein,” Dan Laustsen
“Marty Supreme,” Darius Khondji
“One Battle after Another,” Michael Bauman
“Sinners,” Autumn Durald Arkapaw
“Train Dreams,” Adolpho Veloso

Costume design

“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Deborah L. Scott
“Frankenstein,” Kate Hawley
“Hamnet,” Malgosia Turzanska
“Marty Supreme,” Miyako Bellizzi
“Sinners,” Ruth E. Carter

Film editing

“F1,” Stephen Mirrione
“Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
“One Battle after Another,” Andy Jurgensen
“Sentimental Value,” Olivier Bugge Coutté
“Sinners,” Michael P. Shawver

International feature

“It Was Just an Accident” (France)
“The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
“Sentimental Value” (Norway)
“Sirât” (Spain)
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia)

Live-action short

“Butcher’s Stain”
“A Friend of Dorothy”
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama”
“The Singers”
“Two People Exchanging Saliva”

Makeup and hairstyling

“Frankenstein,” Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
“Kokuho,” Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
“Sinners,” Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
“The Smashing Machine,” Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein
“The Ugly Stepsister,” Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg

Original score

“Bugonia, “Jerskin Fendrix
“Frankenstein,” Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet,” Max Richter
“One Battle after Another,” Jonny Greenwood
“Sinners,” Ludwig Goransson

Original song

“Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless”
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
“I Lied To You” from “Sinners”
“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
“Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”

Production design

“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle after Another”
“Sinners”

Sound

“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“One Battle after Another”
“Sinners”
“Sirât”

Visual Effects

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“F1”
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners”

Casting

“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle after Another”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sinners”