Iron Man is a film.
The Academy Awards , now known officially as the Oscars , is a set of twenty-four awards for artistic and technical merit in the American film industry , given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy 's voting membership . Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name , produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures . Favreau signed on as director , aiming for a naturalistic feel , and he chose to shoot the film primarily in California , rejecting the East Coast setting of the comics to differentiate the film from numerous superhero films set in New York City-esque environments . It was also nominated for two Academy Awards for the Best Sound Editing and the Best Visual Effects .