The new Park City Film Series calendar looks like a who’s who of the Academy Awards, which is something of a feat, given that Frank Normile, the series’ executive director, picked the lineup 12 weeks in advance well before the Jan. 22 announcement of the 2008 Oscar nominees.

“I’m working long enough ahead, that I don’t know the results of the Oscars, but more than nominations, you have to say, ‘Which are the best films around?’ ” he explains. “I have them on my mind from the day they open. I read the New York Times reviews when they come out and you at least get a feel for what the New York critics seem to like.”

Beyond the critics, however, Normile also has members on the series board that have a nose for cinema. “We have a lot of people who have seen things at the Sundance Film Festival or otherwise and we have Madam Destiny, ‘the Gypsy Woman of Film’ you can quote me on that,” Normile says, referring to Destiny Gross, The Market at Park City staffer who is known for her film reviews on KPCW.

The film Normile knew would be a hit but did not include in this upcoming calendar is Ethan and Joel Coen’s “No Country for Old Men.”

“I knew all along that the Coen Brothers were going to win for ‘No Country for Old Men,'” he insists. “I’ve read all of Cormac McCarthy’s novels except for one I love the way he balances violence with philosophy But you aren’t going to get many women to watch that movie. It was a hard film for me to understand how to put on screen and appeal to a large demographic, so I didn’t put it in the series.”

For the record, “No Country for Old Men” was nominated in six categories at the 2008 Academy Awards and won four: “Best Achievement in Directing,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” for Javier Bardem, “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” and “Best Motion Picture of the Year.” The last time the brothers won an Oscar was in 1997 for “Fargo” for “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.”

Park City Film Series lineup through April:

“Atonement” (Rated R)

This weekend, March 15 and 16

Park City Film Series Executive Director Frank Normile might have guessed that “No Country for Old Men” would have taken home the Oscar for “Best Motion Picture,” but he would have chosen “Atonement.”

Based on Ian McEwan’s novel, “Atonement” tells the story of a short-sighted and imaginative 13-year-old writer who irrevocably alters the course of her sister’s and her sister’s lover’s lives. Set at the dawn of World War II, the romantic drama stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. “I think the scope of the film was so all-encompassing, from upper-aristocratic England to Dunkirk beach expeditionary,” Normile says. “In the movie you see the whole beach where you see the whole scene. I thought that was phenomenal. That’s something David Lean would have done in ‘Dr. Zhivago’ or ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai.’ There’s such depth to this film you can feel it was based on a good book.”

Awards: 2008 Golden Globe winner for “Best Picture,” 2008 Academy Award winner for “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score,” and nominated for six other Academy Awards and five other Golden Globe awards.

“Steep” (Rated PG-13)

March 21-23

Featuring extreme skiing’s innovators Bill Briggs, Doug Coombs and Ingrid Backstrom, “Steep” is a documentary that delves into the dangerous, adrenaline-pumping passion of those that seek out first ascents and impossible lines. “People told me when I picked ‘Steep’ I was crazy ‘This is a ski film,’ they said, ‘and everyone’s had their fill of ski films,'” says Normile. “‘Not in this film,’ I said. ‘Steep’ is about the psychology behind extreme sports. It’s not just ‘Oh look, he’s going down another face in Valdez, Alaska.’ It’s ‘Get-into-his-head-what-is-he-afraid-of.’ It’s one of the most psychologically-probing athletic movies.”

“I’m Not There” (Rated R)

March 28-30

Todd Haynes, director of 1998’s “Velvet Goldmine” and 2002’s “Far From Heaven,” directs a range of talents in “I’m Not There,” employing six characters to embody a different aspect of Bob Dylan’s life and work.

“In ‘I’m Not There,’ not only do we have Bob Dylan played by six different people, we have Heath Leger in one of his last performances and we have Cate Blanchett, who was nominated for best supporting actress this year for her portrayal of Dylan,” says Normile.

Awards: 2008 Academy Award nomination and 2008 Golden Globe win for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” for Cate Blanchett.

“Work in Progress”

April 2 at 7 p.m. (free screening)

The Sundance Institute Documentary Series plans to show a yet-to-be-announced original independent film that is a work in progress.

“There Will Be Blood” (Rated R)

April 4-6

Based on a novel by Upton Sinclair, “There Will Be Blood” tells the story of familial ties, avarice, faith and oil centered around a turn-of the-20th-century prospector, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. “This is a performance of a century by Day-Lewis,” praises Normile. “He’s giving a performance so large, I don’t know if anyone could touch it.”

Awards: 2008 Golden Globe award for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama” for Daniel Day-Lewis; nominated for eight 2008 Academy Awards, and winner of two: “Best Achievement in Cinematography” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” for Daniel Day-Lewis.

“The Savages” (Rated R)

April 11-14

This 2007 Sundance Film Festival selection features Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a sister and brother who must care for their increasingly needy elderly father. “It’s very funny at times, but very dark humor,” says Normile. “Still, I think it’s something my audience will know about.”

Awards: nominated for “Best Supporting Actress” for Laura Linney’s performance and “Best Original Screenplay” at the 2008 Academy Awards. Nominated for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy” for Philip Seymour Hoffman.

“Blood on the Sun” (Not rated; released in 1945)

April 16 at 7 p.m. (free screening)

Part of the free “Reel Classics Series,” this film features James Cagney as an American editor of a Tokyo newspaper who prints the story of a world-conquest plan formulated by Japanese militarists. Quickly, Cagney finds himself in the midst of a dual murder, committed by the Japanese upon a U.S. newspaper friend and his wife.

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Rated PG-13)

April 18-20

Based on the book of the same title, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a successful editor-in-chief of French “Elle” magazine, who wakes up in a hospital room after a sudden stroke. Unable to speak, Bauby begins to discover how his imagination can help him feel alive. Normile is a fan of the director of the film, Julian Schnabel, who also directed 2000’s “Before Night Falls.” “He was an avant-garde painter absorbed by the New York people, and at first his films were really arty and people said he wasn’t that good a filmmaker,” Normile explains. “Then he directed Javier Barden as the Cuban poet in ‘Before Night Falls,’ and it was extraordinary.”

Awards: 2008 Golden Globe winner for “Best Director of a Motion Picture” for Julian Schnabel” and for “Best Foreign Language Film.” Nominated in four 2008 Academy Award categories including “Best Achievement in Cinematography,” “Best Achievement in Directing,” “Best Achievement in Editing” and “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.”

“Juno” (Rated PG-13)

April 25-27

A small film that debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, “Juno” is named after the title character played by Ellen Page, a wisecracking teenager who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. “It’s just a real feel-good movie. It’s probing at times, but will make you feel good at the end,” says Normile.

Awards: nominated for four 2008 Golden Globe Awards. Winner of the 2008 Academy Award for “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen,” and nominated for three awards including “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” for Ellen Page, “Best Motion Picture of the Year” and “Best Achievement in Directing” for Jason Reitman.

See a movie at the Park City Film Series

The Park City Film Series is a nonprofit organization that screens movies at the Jim Santy Auditorium located at 1255 Park Ave. Regular show times are 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $7 with discounts for students and seniors. Reel Classics screenings and Sundance Institute Documentary Series screenings are at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit parkcityfilmseries.com.