Welcome back to the annual battle in which we typically ponder which period or fantasy film will win Best Production Design each year…except this ain’t the usual race and we actually have a solid contemporary contender. Okay, so the designs of Barbie aren’t technically modern, but they certainly don’t fit the usual period/fantasy mould. Or would you call it a fantasy film, given much of the narrative is set in a fictional imaginary land? Whatever you want to call it, Barbie isn’t your typical contender and could be the first non-period/fantasy winner since La La Land in 2016.
Naturally, it faces strong competition from competitors that do fit that classic Best Production Design mould like Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Oppenheimer. And even a couple of lavish musicals in the form of Wonka and The Color Purple. But we won’t really know how this race is shaping until the Set Decorators Society of America and Art Directors Guild unveil their nominees in early January.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Barbie (Warner Bros.)
Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator)
2. Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
Shona Heath, James Price (production designer), Zsuzsa Mihalek (set decorator)
3. Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Ruth De Jong (production designer), Claire Kaufman (set decorator)
4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Paramount Pictures / Apple Original Films)
Jack Fisk (production designer), Adam Willis (set decorator)
5. Wonka (Warner Bros.)
Nathan Crowley (production designer), Lee Sandales (set decorator)
IN CONTENTION
Asteroid City (Focus Features)
Adam Stockhausen (production designer)
Beau Is Afraid (A24)
Fiona Crombie (production designer), Laurent Déry-Lauzier (set decorator
The Color Purple (Warner Bros.)
Paul D. Austerberry (production designer), Larry Dias (set decorator)
Ferrari (NEON)
Maria Djurkovic (production designer), Sophie Phillips (set decorator)
Maestro (Netflix)
Kevin Thompson (production designer), Rena DeAngelo (set decorator)
Napoleon (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures)
Arthur Max (production designer), Celia Bobak (set decorator)
Priscilla (A24)
Tamara Deverell (production designer), Patricia Cuccia (set decorator)
Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios)
Suzie Davies (production designer), Charlotte Dirickx (set decorator)
The Taste of Things (IFC Films)
Toma Baqueni (production designer)
The Zone of Interest (A24)
Chris Oddy (production designer), Joanna Kus, Katarzyna Sikora (set decorators)
