LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — A suspenseful hit that captivated theatergoers last year and racked up Oscar nominations this awards season shares very special ties with an Upstate New York man and his family.

Released in October, “Bridge of Spies” is among the top movies of 2015, nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Marc Platt, the film tells the story of New York attorney and longtime Lake Placid, New York resident James “Jim” B. Donovan’s prowess in transacting the exchange of a Russian KGB agent for an American U-2 pilot during the Cold War.

From New York City, the Donovans maintained a second home in Lake Placid, New York and were active members of the village’s Lake Placid Club throughout their lives.

The story of delicate negotiation is chronicled in Donovan’s own words in his book “Strangers on a Bridge,” first published in 1964 and re-released to wide acclaim last summer.

He entered the effort as defense attorney for the Russian spy, Rudolf Abel.

The storyline of the film centers on the dexterity of Donovan’s negotiation skills and follows his approach toward the successful exchange on a German bridge in 1957.

The delicate and historic negotiation is memorialized in the suspenseful and chilling tale.

Tom Hanks portrays Donovan in the movie.

Donovan’s granddaughter, Beth Amorosi, said the family has congratulated both the film’s producer and director on the nominations and that the family is elated that the movie earned such distinction from the film industry. She isn’t sure yet if she or any other family members will attend the Oscar ceremony on Feb. 28.

But the honor remains the same.

“We are very honored and excited by the news of the Academy Award nominations,” she said Friday.

“Steven Spielberg’s film has brought my grandfather’s story to the world, and we are just thrilled that the Academy has recognized his fantastic work with the industry’s highest accolade.

“We hope that now even more people will see this amazing story of courage, justice and American ideals, which are so important to history and to the present day.”

Prior to his death in 1970, Donovan ran an unsuccessful bid for Senate in 1962, a campaign that was pressed to the back seat as he worked to free 9,700 Americans and Cuban-Americans from jails in Cuba following the Bay of Pigs and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal from the CIA at the request of President John F. Kennedy.

Although decades have passed since his death, Donovan’s family will now be able to share a special, well-recognized cinematic part of Donovan’s memory for generations to come.

“We couldn’t be more proud of (Spielberg and Platt) and this incredible movie celebrating my grandfather’s legacy,” Amorosi said.

“Bridge of Spies” was nominated by the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Mark Rylance for his portrayal of KGB agent Rudolf Abel; Original Score; Production Design; Sound Mixing; and Writing, Original Screenplay.

This is the 16th Academy Award nomination for Spielberg. His wins include directing “Saving Private Ryan” in 1998 and for directing and Best Picture for “Schindler’s List” in 1993. 

Dedam writes for the Plattsburgh, New York Press-Republican.