Feature: 21 Feb 2023

Film Awards 2023 Part 1: The production design and set decoration categories of the BAFTAs, ADG, SDSA and BFDG Awards

It was a big weekend for design in film! The film awards season is in full throttle. The look, the atmosphere and the hidden narrative revealed by film sets, locations and furniture is what gets our juices flowing here at Film and Furniture – and as you’re here, we know you’re of a similar ilk.

It is our honour therefore, to shine a spotlight on the super-talented creatives of the film industry by presenting our highlights of the design and art department winners and nominees in 2023’s Art Directors Guild Awards and the SDSA Awards in the USA, together with the BAFTAs and British Film Designers Guild Awards here in the UK.

Part 2 will take a close look at the 2023 Oscars.

Everything Everywhere All At Once and Babylon performed particularly well in these four craft-focused awards/categories, with other notable wins for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Elvis, Empire of Light and TÁR.

SDSA Awards

The Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) announced the winners of its third annual SDSA Awards for Best Achievement in Set Decoration in film for 2022 on February 14, 2023. The awards were announced by SDSA Executive Director Gene Cane.

Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film had joint winners: TÁR (Production Design by Marco Bittner Rosser, Set Decoration by Ernestine Hipper) and Top Gun: Maverick (Production Design by Jeremy Hindle, Set Decoration by Jan Pascale).

Elvis (Production Designer: Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy, Set Decorator: Bev Dunn) won Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Period Feature Film.

The Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Fantasy or Science Fiction Feature Film award went to Everything Everywhere All At Once (Production Designer: Jason Kisvarday, Set Decorator Kelsi Ephraim).

There were also joint winners for Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Musical or Comedy Feature Film: Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (Set Decoration by Anna Lynch-Robinson, Production Design by David Hindle and Christian Huband) and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Set Decoration by Letizia Santucci with Production Design by Kevin Kavanaugh).

Best Picture was awarded to Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Thonet Chair No 14 (new)
As seen in:
Designer: Michael Thonet

Ton

Generations of art directors and set designers have cast a Thonet Bentwood Chair also known as the ‘bistro chair’ in their films.

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The ADG Awards

The 27^th Art Directors Guild Awards were held on February 18th, 2023 at the InterContinental Hotel, Los Angeles.

knives out film set design and furniture — **Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery** film set design and furniture

The Contemporary Feature Film winner was Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Production Designer: Rick Heinrichs). There was some particularly tough competition in this category with outstanding work on Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Eugenio Caballero), Bullet Train (David Scheunemann), TÁR and Top Gun: Maverick.

You can discover art, furniture and decor from Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery here and discover more about the design of BARDO in our video interview with production designer Eugenio Caballero in our BARDO feature.

Babylon (Production Designer: Florencia Martin, Set Decorator Anthony Carlino) took home the Period Feature Film award with other nominees being All Quiet On The Western Front (Production Designer: Christian M. Goldbeck), Elvis, The Fabelmans (Production Designer: Rick Carter) and White Noise (Production Designer: Jess Gonchor).

Babylon is Damien Chazelle’s take on the heady, hedonistic days of the Golden Age of Hollywood, as the industry transitioned from the silent era to the early days of talkies, innovative soundtracks and technicolour. Set in 1920s Los Angeles and starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, the film tells a story of ambition and excess during an age of decadence. Take a look around the spaces and places in our Babylon feature.

The winner of Fantasy or a Science Fiction Film was Everything Everywhere All At Once with others up for the award being Avatar: The Way Of Water (Production Designer: Dylan Cole, Ben Procter), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Production Designer: Hannah Beachler), Nope (Production Designer: Ruth De Jong) and The Batman (Production Designer: James Chinlund, Set Decorator Lee Sandales).

Severance production design, set decoration, film sets, furniture and decor — *Severance*

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (Production Designers: Curt Enderle & Guy Davis) won the Animated Feature Film category and notable TV category wins include
Severance Good News About Hell (Production Designer Jeremy Hindle, Set Decorator Andrew Baseman) and Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (Production Designer Tamara Deverell, Set Decorator Shane Vieau).

Blade Runner whisky glasses gift boxed set of 2 (37cl)
As seen in:
Designer: Cini Boeri

Arnolfo di Cambio

Directors: Denis Villeneuve, Ridley Scott

The exact ‘CIBI’ glass tumbler design that Deckard (Harrison Ford) is seen drinking whiskey from in Blade Runner (1982).

Approx £149.95 / $196

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BFDG Awards

The 12th British Film Designers Guild Production Design Awards were announced on Saturday February 18th, 2023 at the Londoner Hotel, London.

Here’s out edit of the winners:-

The Batman (Production Designer: James Chinlund, Set Decorator Lee Sandales) won International Feature Film – Fantasy.

Thirteen Lives won International Feature Film – Contemporary (Production Designer Molly Hughes, Supervising Art Director Brandt Gordon, Set Decorator Emma Rudkin).

The Independent Feature Film – Contemporary award went to All The Old Knives (Production Designer Marcus Rowland, Supervising Art Director Grant Bailey, Set Decorator Jude Farr).

Empire of Light's cinema — *Empire of Light*

Empire of Light won International Feature Film – Period (Production Designer Mark Tildesley, Supervising Art Director Adam O’Neill, Set Decorators Kamlan Man & Véronique Melery)

Discover more on the Empire cinema and film sets in our Empire of Light feature.

Cesca Chair – Cane / Armless (new)
As seen in:
Designer: Marcel Breuer

Knoll

Director: Sam Mendes

A set of beech Cesca chairs with cane wicker seats appear in Stefan’s Father’s house in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, in Empire of Light around Hilary’s dining table (with and without arms), and these classic chairs also make an appearance in Swedish series Limbo, Someone Great and Conversations With Friends.

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The Independent Feature Film – Period award went to Cyrano (Production Designer Sarah Greenwood, Supervising Art Directors Elaine Kusmishko (UK) & Gianpaolo Rifino (IT), Set Decorator Katie Spencer).

Wednesday (Production Designer Mark Scruton, Supervising Art Director Adrian Curelea, Set Decorators Rob Hepburn & David Morison) was awarded for International TV Drama Including Mini Series, TV Movie or Limited Series, Killing Eve (Production Designer Lucienne Suren, Supervising Art Director Philip Barber, Set Decorator Mike Britton) won (again!) in the category Independent TV Drama Including Mini Series, TV Movie or Limited Series and Fireworks (Production Designer Jamie Lapsley, Supervising Art Director Felix Coles) won Short Film.

BAFTAs

The ballroom party in Babylon. Image: Paramount Pictures.

The winners of the 76th British Academy Film Awards Awards were announced on February 19th, 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Babylon won it’s second major film design accolade by taking home the BAFTAs Production Design award.

The other production design nominees were All Quiet On The Western Front, The Batman, Elvis, and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio.

What do you think of these film awards winners? Looking at all these awards give us a good indication of where the OSCAR for Production Design might be headed!