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



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).
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 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.
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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.
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

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!