We’re fascinated in the production design, art direction and set decoration of the movies here at Film and Furniture and as you’re here, we know you are too! The look, the atmosphere and the hidden narrative revealed by the film sets, locations and furniture is what floats our boat. It is therefore an honour to present our highlights of the design and art department nominations in 2021’s Oscars, Art Directors Guild Awards and the inaugural SDSA Awards in the USA, together with the BAFTAs and the British Film Designers Guild Awards here in the UK.

Let’s shine a spotlight on the super-talented creatives of the film industry…

 

BAFTAs

The 2021 EE British Academy Film Awards took place the weekend of 10 and 11 April 2021.

Mank dramatises the creation of the Citizen Kane and won 2021’s Production Design BAFTA (Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale).

The other Production Design nominees were The Dig (Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald), The Father (Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone), News of The World (David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan) and Rebecca (Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer).

See the full list of BAFTA winners and nominees here >

The Oscars

The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony took place on 25 April 2021. 

The Production Design Oscar also went to Mank. The other nominees were The Father, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara, Diana Stoughton), News of The World and Tenet (Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas).

Take a closer look at the filmsets of The Father and our interview with production design Peter Francis here >

The ADG Awards 

The 24th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards which honours Production Design in theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music took place on 10th April 2021.

Tenet won the Fantasy Feature Film category with other nominees being Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (K.K. Barrett), Pinocchio (Dimitri Capuani), The Midnight Sky (Jim Bissell) and Wonder Woman 1984 (Aline Bonetto, Anna Lynch-Robinson).

Mank took home the Period Feature Film award with other nominees being Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mulan (Grant Majo), News of the World and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Shane Valentino).

The Contemporary Feature Film winner was Da 5 Bloods (Wynn Thomas, Jeanette Scott). Other nominees in this category were I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Molly Hughes, Merissa Lomardo, Mattie Siegal), Palm Springs (Jason Kisvarday), Promising Young Woman (Michael T. Perry, Rae Deslich) and The Prom (Jamie Walker McCall).

The winner of Animated Feature Film was Soul (Steve Pilcher) with other nominees being A Shawn the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Matt Perry), Onward (Noah Klocek), The Croods: A New Age (Nate Wragg) and Wolfwalkers (Ross Stewart, Tomm Moore, Maria Pareja).

Television winners included The Mandalorian: Chapter 13: The Jedi (Andrew L. Jones, Doug Chiang), Ozark: Wartime (David Bomba) and The Queen’s Gambit (Uli Hanisch).

See the full list of ADG Awards nominees and winners here > 

SDSA Awards

The Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) first-ever Awards took place this year to celebrate excellence in the art of set decoration for film.

The winner of Best Achievement In Décor/Design Of A Contemporary Feature Film was Promising Young Woman. The other nominees were Da 5 Bloods, Hillbilly Elegy (Merissa Lombardo, Molly Hughes) I’m Thinking of Ending Things and Sound of Metal (Tara Pavoni, Jeremy Woodward).

Best Achievement In Décor/Design Of A Period Feature Film went to Mank. The other nominees were Emma (Stella Fox, Kave Quinn), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, News of the World and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

The winner of Best Achievement In Décor/Design Of A Science Fiction Or Fantasy Feature Film was Tenet. The other nominees were The Midnight Sky, Palm Springs, Roald Dahl’s The Witches (Rafaella Giovannetti, Gary Freeman) and Wonder Woman 1984.

Best Achievement In Décor/Design Of A Comedy Or Musical Feature Film was won by The Prom (Gene Serdena, Jamie Walker McCall) with other nominees including Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Alina Pentac, David Saenz de Maturana), Dolittle (Lee Sandales, Dominic Watkins), Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga (Naomi Moore, Paul Inglis) and The King Of Staten Island (David Schlesinger, Kevin Thompson). 

 

BFDG Awards

The winners of British Film Designers Guild Production Design Awards for 2020 films will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony taking place on 16 May 2021 and streamed via YouTube at 19.00 GMT. The BFDG promise a creative and light hearted ceremony!

The finalists for Best Production Design – Light Entertainment TV Programme are After Life Series 2 (Richard Drew, Jo White, Jane Dundas), Red Dwarf: The Promised Land (Dominc Roberts, Gregory Hewitt, Elizabeth Slater) and Sex Education – Series 2 (Samantha Harley, Samantha Jay Cliff, Miri Katz, Alexandra Slade)

Best Production Design – Independent Tv Drama Including Mini Series, TV Movie Or Limited Series finalists are A Christmas Carol (Sonja Klaus, Nick Dent, Mike Britton), Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar (Paul Booth, Neil Barnes, Chris Cunningham) and Dracula (Arwel W Jones, Harry Trow, Hannah Nicholson).

Best Production Design – International Tv Drama Including Mini Series, TV Movie Or Limited Series finalists are Avenue 5 (Simon Bowles, Stuart Kearns, Liz Griffiths), Black Narcissus (Kave Quinn, Andrea Matheson, Stella Fox), Bridgerton (Will Hughes-Jones, Dominic Devine, Gina Cromwell).

We talked with Avenue 5 Production Designer Simon Bowles who shared with us how a British cathedral, virtual reality, an ancient tree and a high-tech car factory all informed the design of the glittering interstellar cruise liner. Take a look here >

Best Production Design – Independent Feature Film – Period finalists are Ammonite (Sarah Finlay, Richard Field, Sophie Hervieu), Emma (Kave Quinn, Andrea Matheson, Stella Fox) and The Personal History of David Copperfield (Cristina Casali, Nick Dent, Charlotte Watts).

Best Production Design – Independent Feature Film – Contemporary finalists are Calm with Horses (Damien Creagh, Tara O’Reilly, Annalisa Andriani), I Am Thinking of Ending Things (Molly Hughes, Merissa Lombardo, Mattie Siegal), The Gentlemen (Gemma Jackson, Martyn John, Sarah Whittle).

Best Production Design – International Studio Feature Film – Period finalists are 1917 (Dennis Gassner, Niall Moroney, Lee Sandales), Enola Holmes (Michael Carlin, Choi Ho Man, Adam Squires, Lisa Chugg) and Rebecca.

Best Production Design – International Studio Feature Film – Fantasy finalists are Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Rick Carter, Kevin Jenkins, Paul Inglis, Rosemary Brandenburg), Tenet and The Midnight Sky.

 

We salute them all!